Vehicle glass

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Vehicle glass is glass used to provide light access to motor vehicles. It includes windscreens, side and rear windows, and glass panel roofs.

Contents

Vehicle glass is generally held in place by glass run channels, which also serve to contain fragments of glass if the glass breaks.

Back glass is also called rear window glass, rear windshield, back shield, or rear glass. It is the piece of glass opposite the windshield. Back glass is made from tempered glass, also known as safety glass, and when broken shatters into small, round pieces. [1] Windshields are made of laminated glass, which consists of two layers of glass, separated by a vinyl sheet. [2]

Vehicle glass may contain heating coils or antennae. [3]

Repair

Windscreens can be repaired after chips or cracks damage the outer windscreen layer but do not damage the PVB or inner layer. Crack repair depends upon the size, position, type, and depth of crack. In most cases cracks up to 2 inches are repairable.

Local laws vary regarding safe windscreen repair.

Windscreen repair requires clearing the impact area and removing air through vacuum creation. A transparent fluid is used to fill the crack. The fluid is than treated with UV light to chemically solidify the fluid. Professional repairs can achieve clarity up to 95% with complete structural integrity.

Replacement

Vehicle glass other than the windshield shatters on impact and hence needs replacement. Most vehicle body glass is not bonded and does not require adhesive for installation. Windscreens, sunroofs and rear window glass are generally bonded. They require adhesive to bond the glass with the vehicle frame.

US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 212/208 ensures reliability of adhesives used in US vehicles. For a bonded glass, replacement can take up to an hour. Time must be allowed to allow the adhesive to cure. This is known as "Safe Drive Away Time" or "Minimum Drive Away Time".[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windshield</span> Front window of vehicle

The windshield or windscreen of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. Modern windshields are generally made of laminated safety glass, a type of treated glass, which consists of, typically, two curved sheets of glass with a plastic layer laminated between them for safety, and bonded into the window frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windscreen wiper</span> Device on vehicle

A windscreen wiper or windshield wiper is a device used to remove rain, snow, ice, washer fluid, water, or debris from a vehicle's front window. Almost all motor vehicles, including cars, trucks, buses, train locomotives, and watercraft with a cabin—and some aircraft—are equipped with one or more such wipers, which are usually a legal requirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicle blind spot</span> Area around vehicle that cannot be directly observed by the driver while at the controls

A blind spot in a vehicle or vehicle blind spot is an area around the vehicle that cannot be directly seen by the driver while at the controls, under existing circumstances. In transport, driver visibility is the maximum distance at which the driver of a vehicle can see and identify prominent objects around the vehicle. Visibility is primarily determined by weather conditions and by a vehicle's design. The parts of a vehicle that influence visibility include the windshield, the dashboard and the pillars. Good driver visibility is essential to safe road traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Window film</span> Film installed on glass surfaces

A window film, sometimes called tint, is a thin laminate film that can be installed on the interior or exterior of glass surfaces in automobiles and boats, and as well as on the interior or exterior of glass in homes and buildings. It is usually made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family, due to its clarity, tensile strength, dimensional stability, and ability to accept a variety of surface-applied or embedded treatments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auto mechanic</span> Occupation

An auto mechanic is a mechanic who services and repairs automobiles, sometimes specializing in one or more automobile brands or sometimes working with any brand. In fixing cars, their main role is to diagnose and repair the problem accurately and quickly. Seasoned auto repair shops start with a (Digital) Inspection to determine the vehicle conditions, independent of the customers concern. Based on the concern, the inspection results and preventative maintenance needs, the mechanic/technician returns the findings to the service advisor who then gets approval for any or all of the proposed work. The approved work will be assigned to the mechanic on a work order. Their work may involve the repair of a specific part or the replacement of one or more parts as assemblies. Basic vehicle maintenance is a fundamental part of a mechanic's work in modern industrialized countries, while in others they are only consulted when a vehicle is already showing signs of malfunction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pillar (car)</span> Vertical or near vertical support of a cars window area or greenhouse

The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or greenhouse—designated respectively as the A, B, C and D-pillar, moving from front to rear, in profile view.

A glossary of terms relating to automotive design.

Quickclear is a European trademark used by the Ford Motor Company for its electrically heated windshield technology. Instaclear was the name used sometimes in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety glass</span> Glass with features that make it less likely to cause injury

Safety glass is glass with additional safety features that make it less likely to break, or less likely to pose a threat when broken. Common designs include toughened glass, laminated glass, and wire mesh glass. Toughened glass was invented in 1874 by Francois Barthelemy Alfred Royer de la Bastie. Wire mesh glass was invented in 1892 by Frank Shuman. Laminated glass was invented in 1903 by the French chemist Édouard Bénédictus (1878–1930).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windshield washer fluid</span> Fluid for cleaning windshields on automobiles

Windshield washer fluid is a fluid for motor vehicles that is used in cleaning the windshield with the windshield wiper while the vehicle is being driven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tempered glass</span> Type of safety glass processed to increase its strength

Tempered or toughened glass is a type of safety glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering puts the outer surfaces into compression and the interior into tension. Such stresses cause the glass, when broken, to shatter into small granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards as ordinary annealed glass does. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automobile repair shop</span> Shop where automobiles are repaired by mechanics and electricians

An automobile repair shop is an establishment where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and technicians. The customer interface is typically a service advisor, traditionally called a service writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laminated glass</span> Type of safety glass with a thin polymer interlayer that holds together when shattered

Laminated glass is a type of safety glass consisting of two or more layers of glass with one or more thin polymer interlayers between them which prevent the glass from breaking into large sharp pieces. Breaking produces a characteristic "spider web" cracking pattern when the impact is not enough to completely pierce the glass.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to automobiles:

Safety and security window films are polyester or PET films that are applied to glass and glazing in order to hold them together if the glass is shattered. The main difference between film and laminated glass is that these shatter safe films can be applied to the glass or glazing after manufacture or installation. I.e., these films are retrofit products. These films are used widely all over the world; they can be found on trains, buses, cars, and buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quarter glass</span> Type of car window

Quarter glass on automobiles and closed carriages may be a side window in the front door or located on each side of the car just forward of the rear-facing rear window of the vehicle. Only some cars have them. In some cases, the fixed quarter glass may set in the corner or "C-pillar" of the vehicle. Quarter glass is also sometimes called a valence window.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belron</span> Glass repair company

Belron International Limited is a British vehicle glass repair and replacement group operating worldwide across 34 countries and employing over 25,000 people. Headquartered in Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom, Belron's brands include Autoglass in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Poland, Carglass in most of Europe, O'Brien AutoGlass in Australia, Safelite in the United States, Smith & Smith in New Zealand, and Lebeau and Speedy Glass in Canada.

Adhesive bonding is a joining technique used in the manufacture and repair of a wide range of products. Along with welding and soldering, adhesive bonding is one of the basic joining processes. In this technique, components are bonded together using adhesives. The broad range of types of adhesives available allows numerous materials to be bonded together in products as diverse as vehicles, mobile phones, personal care products, buildings, computers and medical devices.

NordGlass, is a Polish manufacturer of windshields for the repair of passenger cars and trucks, work machinery, railways, ships and military. Headquartered in Koszalin, it has 2 plants: Koszalin and Słupsk, employs over 1,000 employees, has a nationwide network of repair and replacement of car windows. Since 2015, it is a subsidiary of AGC Inc. – the largest glass company in the world and one of the core Mitsubishi companies.

References

  1. "Rear Windshield & Back Window Replacement | Safelite".
  2. "How a Windshield is Made - Glass, Manufacture, Sizes".
  3. "Back Windshield Guide | Rear Windshield Glass | Safelite".