Heat-soaked glass for additional strength

The potential for toughened glass to break, although very rare, can’t be ignored for some specific projects. To almost minimise the risk of breakage, our team uses heat-soaking when manufacturing toughened glass that aims to reduce the risk of spontaneous shattering caused by nickel sulphide inclusions.

Read on to learn more about heat-soaked glass:

What is heat soaking?

In architectural applications and glass manufacturing, heat-treated glass reduces the risk of breakage from thermal pressure and pressure from uniform masses such as strong wind and snow.

Heat soaking is a process carried out in the manufacturing stage of glass after the glass undergoes tempering – toughening. It aims to reduce the risk of spontaneous shattering in toughened glass caused by nickel sulphide inclusions.

The toughened glass is subjected to a temperature of 290 degrees for several hours, if any nickel sulphide inclusions are present the panel with break.

Although heat soaking can identify 95% of problem panels, the process does not eliminate all nickel sulphide inclusions.

What are nickel sulphide inclusions?

Nickel sulphide inclusion is a natural phenomenon, and it exists before the toughening process begins. However, it is during the toughening process that this inclusion can become noticeable.

The toughening process has the potential to cause the glass to explode or break, though sometimes it passes through this stage without any issues, only to spontaneously break weeks or even months later.

The heat soaking process involves subjecting the glass to higher temperatures, and in approximately 95% of cases, if nickel sulphide is present, it will result in the panel breaking. This, in turn, gives more confidence in the glass’s strength as it becomes exceedingly rare for the panel to break.

When is heat soaking recommended?

It is advisable in situations where the risk of spontaneous breakage is a concern, particularly in areas where injuries and high replacement costs could occur. However, it’s worth noticing that this process does come at a higher cost.

Heat soaking is particularly well-suited for areas where enhanced strength is required. We recommend considering heat-soaked toughened glass for the following types of projects:

• Intricate glass designs and glass designs that are oversized.
• Commercial projects that may involve placing glass in hard-to-reach areas, making replacement more complex and inconvenient.
• Frameless glass balustrade projects.
• Overhead glazing, such as glass canopies.

 

Visit our showroom or get in touch to discuss your balustrade and glass solutions.