What is Laminated Glass?
Laminated glass, also referred to as safety glass, is classified as Grade A Safety Glass.
It consists of two or more sheets of glass permanently bonded together with an interlayer designed to improve acoustics and/or impact resistance.
The interlayer reduces the risk of the glass breaking and forming long, dangerous shards.
Laminated glass is perfect for areas of the home most prone to injury from human impact such as bathrooms, doors and full-length windows, and offers a cost-effective alternative to toughened glass.
If you require special performance, laminated glass is suitable for sound reduction, energy efficiency and additional security.
In 1902, the French Le Carbone corporation obtained a patent for coating glass objects with celluloid in order to render them less susceptible to cracking or breaking.[3]
Laminated glass was invented in 1903 by the French chemist Édouard Bénédictus (1878-1930), inspired by a laboratory accident. A glass flask had become coated with the plastic cellulose nitrate and when dropped shattered but did not break into pieces
Advantages of Laminated Glass
- Increased sound insulation
- Safer – if broken, glass fragments remain in place rather than breaking into dangerous shards
- Improved security
- Durable
- Better protection against UV rays which can fade furnishings
- Available in a range of tones and opaque options
- Laminated Low-E glass decreases UV transmission offering some protection of fading furnishings
Disadvantages of Laminated Glass
- Difficult to break in an emergency
- Poor installation can lead to problems
- Laminated glass can deteriorate when the edge of the laminated glass is in contact with water over extended periods, such as condensation.
- Prolonged exposure to water will cause the interlayer to separate from the glass surface.