The Wonders Of Bullet Proof Glass
Posted on Sunday, March 20th, 2011 at 11:04 am by Protective Structures
Materials research is very important in material development and advancement. While materials are basically classified as metals, ceramic, and polymers; the combination of any of these materials results into a new material which exhibits better characteristics than the individual materials. An example of this is the bullet proof glass. Although the bullet proof glass looks very similar to the ordinary glass, it exhibits better properties and characteristics.
One important characteristic of bullet proof glass is its ability to withstand the impact of bullets. In other words, instead of shattering down into pieces as an ordinary glass does, bullet proof glass remains intact. The capacity of the bullet proof glass to withstand bullet impact depends on the thickness of the glass and the type of material used in making the glass.
The concept that underlies the production of bullet proof glass is lamination. Lamination is a process of layering glass-like material in order to produce a stronger material. The material most commonly used in layering bullet proof glass is polycarbonate. The polycarbonate material is layered in between pieces of ordinary glass; thus when the glass is struck with an axe or a bullet, the polycarbonate layers keep the glass intact. Moreover, the polycarbonate layers absorb the bullet and stops it.
Another type of bullet proof glass which absorbs bullet on one side yet allows the passage of a bullet on the other side is called the one-way-bullet-resistant glass. The advantage of this bullet resistant glass is that it allows the person on the other side of the glass to shoot back because one side allows the passage of a bullet. This unique characteristic is achieved by the distinctive layering of the glass which allows one way bullet passage.
Most of the applications of one-way-bullet-resistant glass are car windshields and windows. The set-up provides a safe environment for the driver since the bullet resistant glass protects the occupant from being shot at while permitting the occupants to shoot from inside the car. Indeed, one way bullet resistant glass is advantageous in the automobile industry. This also holds true for homes that are designed with large glass windows. In order to protect the occupants of the house, one-way bullet resistant glass is installed instead of ordinary glass.
Moreover, one-way bullet resistant glass is also used in armored cars that are used by banks in transporting cash and other valuables. With this type of glass, the guards inside the vehicle can easily fire back when there is a need to do so.
Today, there are a number of bullet resistant glass items available in the market. Various manufacturers produce different variations of the bullet proof glass. Variations may include the thickness, sizes, color, and layering material used.
This entry was posted on Sunday, March 20th, 2011 at 11:04 am and is filed under PSL Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.