Glass makes up a significant part of our everyday lives because it is found everywhere. Glass is used to help people see, to protect drivers from fast moving air and bugs, to help keep a home insulated, and as part of beautiful and breathtaking art.
Glass can be used for so many different things because there are so many different types of this substance. As this substance is used for so many different things, there are many vocabulary words associated with it that you may not be aware of.
One such vocabulary word is 'frit.' Frit refers to the specialized paint that is painted around the edge of a windshield or other parts of a vehicle that are made out of glass.
There is an ingredient in frit that fuses with the surface of the windshield that makes it very durable, scratch resistant, and able to withstand pressure much longer. This substance is critical to the strength of automobile glass parts.
There are many different types of frit paints that are used. For example, there are several different colors of frits that can be used depending on the tint of the window.
Another term you may have heard is Batch glass. Batch glass refers to glass when it is not yet done, but partially completed.
Glass is consistently made throughout the day and night in various placed throughout the United States. The elements of glass are mixed together in a huge furnace and then the correct elements are added to the furnace when they are needed.
When these ingredients are added in batches it is called 'Batch Glass.' As the recipe varies slightly, batch glass can be slightly different from finished glass.
However, if you are making tinted glass or UV protective glass, the right substances are mixed in at the beginning. Overall, batch glass is fairly raw.
Another term you may have heard is Float glass. This term refers to the glass that is treated in a tin bath after it is pulled out of the furnace.
In this tin bath, the glass cools from a slushy state to a solid. This method of creating glass to be used in automobiles was not created until the 1950s.
This method was invented by Pilkington. Today, it is considered to be a vital part of how automobile glass is made.
In reference to floating glass, you may have heard of the term 'tin side.' Tin side is the side of the glass that touches the molten tin when it is floating.
The air side is the other side that is not touching the molten tin as it becomes a solid. This side may also be referred to as the atmosphere side.
When glass is held at the right angle in the sunlight you may notice a slight glow on one side but not the other. The side that glows is the tin side while the other side is the air side.
Another term you may have heard is 'monogram.' A monogram is the trademark or logo of the company who made the windshield.
Regulations require that a monogram be placed on the windshield in a visible location. This location must be visible even when the glass is properly installed.
Most companies simply paint their monogram on the windshield. However, other companies have been known to use sand blasting or acid etching methods to apply their monogram.
The monogram must contain a department of transportation number, the model number, and the glass type. The department of transportation number, or DOT number, identifies who made the windshield.
The model number, or M number, is a number applied by the manufacturer to identify what kind of glass it is. M numbers vary between all of the different glass companies.
A more common term that you have most likely heard is 'tempered glass.' Tempered glass is special kind of glass that is only a single piece of glass that is strengthened through special cooling process.
The cooling process is more rapid than the typical cooling process. During this process, the glass is blasted by air on both the top and bottom sides of the air.
This process makes the outside surfaces cool much faster than the core. This makes the glass significantly stronger than if it was cooled normally.
This makes tempered windshields much harder to break. However, they break into small pieces if they are broken.
Glass is a critical part of our everyday life. Being aware of these terms may help you decided which kind of glass you are dealing with when you come across it in your life.
Author Resource:-
Jack R. Landry is a certified technician and has been repairing broken and cracked windshields since the 80s. He has written hundreds of articles about windshield replacement Provo.
Contact Info:
Jack R. Landry
JackRLandry@gmail.com
http://www.DiamondGlass.com
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