Hammerglass - Evolution of the Windscreen?

[Glassman]

300 times stronger than glass - and almost unbreakable: http://www.hammerglass.co.uk/vehicle.html.

[Birdster]

Would that be allowed though?

As in emergency services wouldn't be able to get into a vehicle etc.

Liked the video tests. :-)

[TheEnd]

I wonder exactly how scratch resistant it is, that's always been the failing point on plastic screens.

[wiliferus]

Birdster said:

Would that be allowed though?

As in emergency services wouldn't be able to get into a vehicle etc.

Liked the video tests. :-)

Good point, can't see a problem with having it as a windscreen though to prevent chips, cracks, and objects coming through, whilst leaving the side windows as standard car glass.

[Face for Radio]

I was thinking the other day, when I was paying £80 for the fourth time in four years for another new windscreen, how nice it would be for someone to develop glass that doesn't break from stones, and anonomous objects thrown out of car windows going in the opposite direction to me.

Trouble with stuff like that hammerglass, it's not really suitable for car windscreens as it flexes in the headwind, would probably need to be REALLY thick to not flex at all.

[Glassman]

wiliferus said:

can't see a problem with having it as a windscreen though to prevent chips, cracks

Grrrr

[Liokault]

Face for Radio said:

Trouble with stuff like that hammerglass, it's not really suitable for car windscreens as it flexes in the headwind, would probably need to be REALLY thick to not flex at all.

So just make it the outer layer in the windscreen glass laminate.

[Chicane-UK]

That's incredible!

[mnkiboy]

Glassman said:

Grrrr

[so called]

I did a head first dive through a car windscreen once and cant help feeling that I dont want to hit an immoveable object like this stuff.
I understand that laminate screens are supposed to give and so absorb some of the impact energy.

Then again we are all supposed to wear seatbelts so that kills my point......

[mrmr96]

Liokault said:

Face for Radio said:

Trouble with stuff like that hammerglass, it's not really suitable for car windscreens as it flexes in the headwind, would probably need to be REALLY thick to not flex at all.

So just make it the outer layer in the windscreen glass laminate.

But then that will chip and crack still.... so what's the benefit over glass like we currently use?

[Glassman]

so called said:

I understand that laminate screens are supposed to give and so absorb some of the impact energy.

Just ask Franck Ribéry.

[Liokault]

mrmr96 said:

Liokault said:

Face for Radio said:

Trouble with stuff like that hammerglass, it's not really suitable for car windscreens as it flexes in the headwind, would probably need to be REALLY thick to not flex at all.

So just make it the outer layer in the windscreen glass laminate.

But then that will chip and crack still.... so what's the benefit over glass like we currently use?

If you use it as an outer layer, why would it crack? I dont think that all three (it is still three?) layers in a laminate screen crack when you get a chip.....the middle layer is almost a gel anyway.

[PhillipM]

If it's anything like quartz coated polycarb windows it'll still scratch like buggery even from washing, never mind with wipers too.

Edited by PhillipM on Tuesday 12th June 00:24

[Glassman]

Liokault said:

the middle layer is almost a gel anyway.

PVB

Polyvinyl Butyral is 'sandwhiched' between two sheets of glass. The bonding process takes place under heat and pressure. When laminated under these conditions, the PVB interlayer becomes optically clear and binds the two sheets of glass together. Once sealed together, the sandwich construction (i.e., laminate) behaves as a single unit and looks like normal glass. The polymer interlayer of PVB is tough and ductile, so brittle cracks will not pass from one side of the laminate.

The colour or 'tint' of a windscreen is in the PVB interlayer and not the glass.

[mrmr96]

Liokault said:

mrmr96 said:

Liokault said:

Face for Radio said:

Trouble with stuff like that hammerglass, it's not really suitable for car windscreens as it flexes in the headwind, would probably need to be REALLY thick to not flex at all.

So just make it the outer layer in the windscreen glass laminate.

But then that will chip and crack still.... so what's the benefit over glass like we currently use?

If you use it as an outer layer, why would it crack? I dont think that all three (it is still three?) layers in a laminate screen crack when you get a chip.....the middle layer is almost a gel anyway.

If a bit stone/rock hits the screen then the outer layer of glass will crack. This won't allow penetration of course, but the screen will no longer be optically clear in that area and would require replacement.

[zap mc]

Birdster said:

Would that be allowed though?

As in emergency services wouldn't be able to get into a vehicle etc.

Liked the video tests. :-)

Remember that there are some cars with laminated and multi layer side glasses anyway so laminated side glass is not considered to be a barrier to the emergency services as they will just peel a roof back rather than going in through a window.( There was once a British Standards committe looking at making all side glasses from laminated glass in the 1990's )

Whilst the product looks impressive you do need to see that it is described as "scratch resistant" which most materials are to a degree so i would assume that it will suffer the same degradation as most polycarbs and look like torvil and dean have used it as a practice rink after a while and the UV will take its toll and it will become brittle and crazed after a few years in the sun. Their target market of plant glass is probably ideal and would have many benefits.

The problem with using it in a car is that it has no structral rigidity of its own and would compromise the chassis strength of a car designed with the glass as s stressed member. Race cars with extra chassis bracing would be a great use. for it

[The Wookie]

Face for Radio said:

Trouble with stuff like that hammerglass, it's not really suitable for car windscreens as it flexes in the headwind, would probably need to be REALLY thick to not flex at all.

Pretty much my thoughts, I remember the first time I drove my racing car down the back straight at Thruxton and got somewhat startled by the suprisingly loud 'pop' of the windscreen buckling inwards against the centre mirror mount!

[jbi]

they have been making spectacle lenses out of this stuff for a while now.

It's great until you hit it with sparks... and then it melts

[daemonoid]

mrmr96 said:

If a bit stone/rock hits the screen then the outer layer of glass will crack. This won't allow penetration of course, but the screen will no longer be optically clear in that area and would require replacement.

He said it twice now, but to be extra clear... Glass is the inner layer, 'hammerglass' the outer.