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What Made My Window Shatter?

They explode into fine GLASS powder eh? Sounds dangerous. Is it, or am I just being silly?
 
I had my windshield explode on me while driving earlier this week. Nothing hit it it just went bang. Scared my witless. I blame the heat and then curry I had the night before. Well it was one of them that did it.

The guy who replaced it said it is common for screens to shatter in the heat, especially in vehicles. He might have been pulling my leg though.
 
Corpse Cruncher said:
I had my windshield explode on me while driving earlier this week. Nothing hit it it just went bang. Scared my witless. I blame the heat and then curry I had the night before. Well it was one of them that did it.

The guy who replaced it said it is common for screens to shatter in the heat, especially in vehicles. He might have been pulling my leg though.
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Well, for someone who makes a living replacing screens, it's common. He sees it all the time ;).

I was thinking heat, too. The pressure made some flaw or scratch in the glass pop. Why do you have hardened glass in those windows, btw?

Glass is funny. I have had glass objects fail spontaneously after long esposure to stress. Once a cheap bottle of strawberry "champaigne", which we had bought in a border shop (due to taxation, bordershopping is a national sport in Denmark) exploded in the kitchen. We had just come back from a long trip where it had been lying in the trunk of a hot car, and I had caried our stuff in, and left that bottle on the kitchen table. We were sitting in the living-room taking a rest, and .... *POOF*! Judging from the smell of the juice I had to mop up together with thousands of glass bits, the loss was small :rolleyes:.

Hans
 
MRC_Hans said:
Well, for someone who makes a living replacing screens, it's common. He sees it all the time ;).

I was thinking heat, too. The pressure made some flaw or scratch in the glass pop. Why do you have hardened glass in those windows, btw?Hans
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In the UK it's fairly standard in blocks of flats to have hardened glass in the upper storeys. It helps to prevent idiots falling through them!
 
tkingdoll said:
Wow, cool link! Thanks. The video is fascinating
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Seconded, thanks! I remember seeing those demonstrated years ago on one of Johnny Ball's programmes. I could remember the exploding drops but not anything else about them, so it's nice to find out again!

MRC_Hans said:
Why do you have hardened glass in those windows, btw?
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It's not uncommon for double glazing to have toughened glass, particularly if the windows are close to the floor so children can get at them, or if you're in a council house (or former council house) where safety tends to be given priority.
 
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richardm said:
It's not uncommon for double glazing to have toughened glass, particularly if the windows are close to the floor so children can get at them, or if you're in a council house (or former council house) where safety tends to be given priority.
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Really? Never encountered it here. A normal double (or triple) glass pane is quite hard to break with brute force.

Hans
 
MRC_Hans said:
Really? Never encountered it here. A normal double (or triple) glass pane is quite hard to break with brute force.
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True, but in this country you must comply with the relevant British Standard, which is apparently quite rigorous. There's a good summary here.
 
richardm said:
It's not uncommon for double glazing to have toughened glass, particularly if the windows are close to the floor so children can get at them, or if you're in a council house (or former council house) where safety tends to be given priority.
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I'm guessing Wollery's explanation about stopping people falling through is the likely one, as this flat is neither close to the ground nor current or ex-council in any way.

I must say, when the glazier removed both panes and we were left with a big hole for about 20 minutes, it was sort of fascinating. I asked my hubby "would you die if you fell out at this height?". He's been keeping a close eye on me ever since :D

It wasn't suspicious though, I was just curious.
 
WildCat said:
[CT]
The window did not shatter, it was a controlled demolition perpetuated by a diabolical worldwide conspiracy the likes of which have never been seen before.

Is Larry Silverstein involved w/ your building in any way?
[/CT]
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[CT]

I saw a documentary once where they showed a rocket launcher.

So, obviously, that's what did it. Cheney pulled the trigger.

If you don't believe me, I can show you a clip of the documentary.

[/CT]
 
tkingdoll said:
I'm guessing Wollery's explanation about stopping people falling through is the likely one.
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Sounds quite likely, yes!

tkingdoll said:
I asked my hubby "would you die if you fell out at this height?".
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According to the alt.suicide.holiday FAQ you need a minimum of 10 storeys to guarantee death. (Guaranteed only if you land on something solid, like concrete).
 
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We had a glass shower door in my warren disintegrate in the wee hours of the morning all on its own long ago. It was tempered safety glass, too.

What I found interesting was I came across an article in Scientific American shortly afterwards that discussed this very same phenomenon. Enhanced by various factors, small flaws in the glass can creep over time. Water works wonders to accelerate this cracking. As others have said, it can just happen.
 
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