Why Glass Shower Doors Aren’t Dangerous
Millions of us place absolute confidence within the custom glass shower doors that enclose us during a shower, having the uttermost faith that the glass will not break.
What are the design parameters of this glass that allow us to place such faith in its mechanical properties?
To provide a comprehensive understanding of this, it is important we provide context to the buildings that house them. The codes of safety within a building have specifications surrounding glazing in bathing areas, these panels can be in the form of:
- Plastic doors (the cheapest and most susceptible to scratching)
- Laminated glass doors (plastic sheet between layers of glass)
- Tempered glass doors
Between these types, it is found that tempered glass installations are the most common due to their great price-performance ratio, lower susceptibility to cracking, and for being four times stronger than their annealed counterpart. In addition, the tempering and quenching process allows for significant bowing – rather than shattering – to occur as it succumbs to heavy loads.
While the resilience of tempered glass is admirable, it is not indestructible. Even so, should the innate tension within the glass be disturbed (via drilling, for example), tempered glass has been designed to nullify the risk of harm as it crumbles into small pieces, as opposed to large shards.
When having your custom glass shower doors outfitted with tempered glass, make sure you keep an eye out for a tempering seal in the corner of your panel as it is required by law that tempered glass be marked.
A Strong Reputation for Aesthetics and Quality
Since 1975, All Team Glass have been at the forefront of glass fabrication, including custom glass shower doors. We have fabricated a range of glass enclosures for our clients, all with their own unique traits. Our dedication to the artistry behind a client’s glass panel does not compromise our tenacity to upholding the highest safety standards, with our safety tempered glass thickness ranging from 8 – 19mm. Get in touch with our team of experts to join our ranks of satisfied customers!
Millions of us place absolute confidence within the custom glass shower doors that enclose us during a shower, having the uttermost faith that the glass will not break.
What are the design parameters of this glass that allow us to place such faith in its mechanical properties?
To provide a comprehensive understanding of this, it is important we provide context to the buildings that house them. The codes of safety within a building have specifications surrounding glazing in bathing areas, these panels can be in the form of:
- Plastic doors (the cheapest and most susceptible to scratching)
- Laminated glass doors (plastic sheet between layers of glass)
- Tempered glass doors
Between these types, it is found that tempered glass installations are the most common due to their great price-performance ratio, lower susceptibility to cracking, and for being four times stronger than their annealed counterpart. In addition, the tempering and quenching process allows for significant bowing – rather than shattering – to occur as it succumbs to heavy loads.
While the resilience of tempered glass is admirable, it is not indestructible. Even so, should the innate tension within the glass be disturbed (via drilling, for example), tempered glass has been designed to nullify the risk of harm as it crumbles into small pieces, as opposed to large shards.
When having your custom glass shower doors outfitted with tempered glass, make sure you keep an eye out for a tempering seal in the corner of your panel as it is required by law that tempered glass be marked.
A Strong Reputation for Aesthetics and Quality
Since 1975, All Team Glass have been at the forefront of glass fabrication, including custom glass shower doors. We have fabricated a range of glass enclosures for our clients, all with their own unique traits. Our dedication to the artistry behind a client’s glass panel does not compromise our tenacity to upholding the highest safety standards, with our safety tempered glass thickness ranging from 8 – 19mm. Get in touch with our team of experts to join our ranks of satisfied customers!
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