Spontaneous
glass breakage
In an attempt to understand what may have caused Tuesday’s excitement, I did a little research. My thanks to Andrew and Willie for their input.
According to some sources spontaneous glass breakage is an extremely rare occurrence, but there is no guarantee that it will not occur in any installation and no indication of when it might happen. There are two main causes: thermal shock or stress, and nickel sulphide inclusions.
Thermal shock: Glass expands and contracts in response to changes in temperature. If there is a significant difference in temperature across the surface, for example, between the edge and the centre of a glass pane, and the parts expand or contract in opposite directions, the glass is placed under thermal stress and can shatter.
Sulphide inclusions: small nickel sulphide stones form during glass manufacture. Formation is random and probably caused by the use of stainless steel machinery in the glass-making process. Nickel sulphide inclusions can remain dormant for years after production and installation. There is no technology at present to eliminate the formation of nickel sulphides. The inclusions contract while the glass cools during the manufacturing process. Over time the sulphide inclusions will try to expand to their original size and sometimes they succeed, causing ‘spontaneous’ shattering.
Another possible inclusion is minute pieces of brick which are eroded from the furnace wall by the molten glass and become embedded in the finished product. These are also known as ‘stones’ and create thermal anomalies when the glass is heated, causing breakage.
Other reasons for later ‘spontaneous breakage’ may include nicked or clipped edges during installation which eventually develop into later breaks, or the securing of the glass in the frame using a sealant or adhesive. If expansion and contraction of the glass occurs and the stresses are stronger than the glass, it can break. A preventive measure, though not guaranteed, is to set the glass on resilient blocks at the bottom, with space for expansion at the other edges.
This post refers only to the particular circumstances of my conservatory in southern England. Other factors will be involved in tall glass buildings and in different climates.
The glazier who came today, who has decades of experience, said that he is seeing more such breakages recently than he has seen in the past. He thought they could be due to extreme heat in this part of the world. Our extreme heat is not comparable to the heat experienced in other parts of the world.
There are still pieces of glass dropping sporadically. I always have to sweep up flies from the conservatory floor – now I have to add glass fragments to the daily chore.
I have heard that climate change is responsible for many crises, large and small, all over the world. But your glazier is seeing more glass breakages in the recent heat wave than he has seen in the past. He may well be right!!
ReplyDeleteHave a good look Climate Change Deniers! Look well and weep :(
Hels, we have to keep in mind that there are more conservatories than there ever has been, so an increase could be just that alone.
DeleteIn this area new houses are built with conservatories as standard so there has been a proliferation of them.
DeleteWe had two window breakages, both the pane. We had our windows tinted with a film. The laminated glass window on a summer morning has hot sun shining directly on it. Next to it sits the exterior air conditioner unit which when cooling blasts out hot air at right angles to the window. Inside with the a/c on the area quickly cools, snap. The window cracked because of the extreme temperature differences. Building insurance paid for replacement glass and a few weeks later the same thing happened. We had an experienced glazier look at it and proclaimed, 'easy'. He installed tempered glass and no problem since. I am not sure if this is really relevant to your situation but knowledge is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteYes, knowledge is a good thing:-)
DeleteOur conservatory glass is tempered glass. The one that shattered was bad-tempered - sorry, feeble joke!
HaHa! So the glazier who came, has decades of experience...
ReplyDeleteWhat was his name...Noah! :). And a third one to~day....!
Turning out to be a bit of a 'PAIN'....ooooops!
Still..I expect the flies are a lot happier, being able to fly in
and out without banging their heads on the glass...! :).
Do l know any glass funnies....?
What did Cinderella where to the beach?
Glass flippers..
What do you call a glass to-do list?
Clear instructions..
What do you call a glass to-do list?
Clear instructions..
Will glass coffins be a success?
It remains to be seen..
πππππππππππππ
Oh! Dear...got me where and wear confused...! :(.
DeleteBut then l'm a bit confused, off up to the surgery
in a mo...yearly MOT with the nurse...
Now! Where did l put that sample bottle...!!!! :O(
I hope the MOT goes well. They seem to happen in Dorset, but not here in Berkshire. Suits me - I keep well away from medics.
DeleteReading your post re your glass, reminded me of when I was a student delivering the Christmas post for The Royal Mail.
ReplyDeleteI was struggling with my sack of letters, walking my route up the Botley road, near a place called Fair Oak, in Hampshire. I entered one property, walked up the drive and approached the glass, front door. I could hear this commotion and on the other side of the door the sound of a dog barking and running towards the door as it must’ve heard me. Lo and behold, the dog didn’t stop…it crashed through the glass right at me…I was showered with glass and the dog seemed quite stunned. But I’ll never forget the owners’ reaction! They didn’t give a hoot about me but were only concerned about their precious pooch! Something I’ll never forget, that’s for sure!
I hope that you get your damage fixed quickly! π
Posties are replaceable . . . that was a poor response, though.
DeleteHow many glaziers does it take to change a .... pane of glass?
ReplyDeleteWe're only at the tooth-sucking stage . . .
DeleteTruly a frightening phenomenon. Someone could get seriously injured.
ReplyDeleteIt's the randomness that's a bit worrying. However, it's small beer compared to what others are facing across the world.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I should be thankful that we are not allowed to add a conservatory to our listed building!
ReplyDeleteYes - be thankful for small mercies;-)
DeleteThis is fascinating though most unwelcome. A beautiful room shown in yesterday's pictures. I hope the replacement goes well.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stephanie. We just need to send the quotes to the insurance company and then wait . . .
DeleteHi Janice - how interesting to find out about ... ghastly happening - just glad the conservatory was empty at the time. I look forward to the next informatory update. Glad all are well - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hilary. It's a waiting game now . . .
ReplyDeleteReading all these possible causes of spontaneous glass breakage, I've been eyeing our windows with some trepidation. Phew, am I glad I haven't got a conservatory ... xxx
ReplyDeleteIt's surprising it doesn't happen more often when you consider the amount of glass in houses. x x x
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