Designing for Safety
While ordinary glass windows can result in serious injuries when broken, laminated glass is versatile in both preventing injuries from broken glass and protecting the building envelope. Glazing made with Saflex interlayer, used in a properly designed system, reduces the risk of injury from broken glass because the glass clings to the interlayer upon impact. By holding the glass in place, the interlayer provides protection from dangerous flying or falling glass fragments.
Vertical Safety Glazing Applications
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the architectural glazing sections of the model building codes (International Building Code, International Residential Code, and Building Construction Safety Code) all set uniform requirements for the performance of glazing materials used in applications which present a potential hazard to the public. These applications include entrance doors, storm doors, patio-type sliding doors, shower and bath enclosures, sidelights and fixed glazed panels. Performance requirements are determined by the application and the size of the glazing area. Laminated glass with Saflex interlayer can be designed to meet all of these established building codes.
Sloped and Overhead Glazing Applications
 Use of glass in sloped and overhead glazing often presents a design and safety challenge. If the glass should break, the glazing system needs to be able to provide protection from glass fallout to those below. Retaining glass fragments to the Saflex interlayer and the system's ability to remain integral if broken, allows laminated glass with Saflex interlayer to meet the performance requirements for sloped and overhead glazing as stated in the model building codes for Europe and the United States.
Engineering for Earthquakes
When designing in geographical areas that require added structural performance for seismic conditions - the following issues are of primary importance:
- Reducing hazards to people from falling glass injuries and deaths at street level from fractured storefront and elevated windows
- Reducing the costs to repair earthquake-damaged glazing systems—even when glass is not broken or visibly cracked
Systems that normally do not receive scrutinized seismic engineering, or that incorporate annealed monolithic glass in applications, do not perform well under severe racking conditions. The glass from these systems, such as storefronts, tends to fall out of the opening and onto the street or sidewalk. If broken, the pieces tend to adhere retaining glass fragments to the Saflex interlayer allowing the system to remain integral if broken. Properly engineered systems with ample clearances between edges of the glass window unit and the supporting metal frames have performed well, but many of these systems have not yet experienced the higher racking amplitudes associated with a severe earthquake.
For more information on Saflex interlayer, contact us.
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