Hurricane proof glass & windows background
Hurricanes are getting stronger and stronger. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), studies have shown that compared with 20-25 years ago, the wind speed of hurricanes has increased by 5%, which entrained more water vapor.
At the same time, on coastlines prone to hurricanes, both population and property values are rising-this will make costly natural disasters more frequent. In the United States alone, there was a loss of 15 billion U.S. dollars in 2016; in 1980, this figure was only 300 million U.S. dollars (inflation-adjusted figure).
After gaining attention after Hurricane Andrew destroyed the southeastern United States in 1992,Florida law finally stipulates that any house built after 2001 should be constructed with hurricane-resistant windows or hurricane proof shutters.Miami-Dade certificate was also launched to prove the windows&glass rationality in Dade county.
hurricane in USA
How the hurricane cause damages to your house?
The hurricane can cause damages through 2 ways:
The hurricane can be classified into 5 levels:
Level 1: 119-153km/h
Level 2: 154-177km/h
Level 3: 178-209km/h
Level 4: 210-249km/h
Level 5: >249km/h
The hurricane always brings huge wind speed and wind pressure,which rip shingles, boards and insulation off roofs, quickly exposing your home to the elements,beside that,everything that exposed outside can be involved in the wind and hit the glass.
hurricane destroy glass-morn
Once the glass broken,the glass fragments become projectiles that can hurt people in the vicinity.
Damages after the windows pull out or falling down.
Not only the glass fragments after broken,if the windows frame is not strong enough,the windows itself can be ripped and the barrier between interior and exterior is eliminated.The wind go directly inside the room and destroy everything inside.
These vulnerabilities allow water to seep into your home, causing immediate and long-lasting damage to your property and belongings.
hurricane destroy-in China
What’s hurricane proof glass?
Heat treated monolithic glass cannot be used as hurricane proof glass,even through tempered glass strength is 3-5 times higher than normal float glass,but as it can be break into fragment after broken,the fragment will cause further injury to people when the hurricane comes with big storm and wind.
tempered glass breakage -hurricane proof glass
So the hurricane proof glass must meet several requirement:
High strength and Difficult to break.
Glass keep integrity and not be penetrated after breaking.
For hurricane windows,the glass and window frame must be fixed and won’t fall in the wind.Thus hurricane proof glass can be classified into 3 types:
PVB laminated glass.
Of course the PVB laminated glass here is tempered laminated glass with polyvinyl butyral.Tempered glass itself has high strength and even one piece broken in the hurricane,the interlayer can keep the glass overall integrity,meanwhile work as a barrier to prevent the inner piece glass been impacted .The PVB interlayer also prevent the glass been penetrated.
SGP laminated glass.
PVB laminated glass will collapse once the 2 piece glass all broken,the PVB interlayer is soft and has low shearing modulus,cannot hold the broken glass.
SGP laminated glass has high strength.SGP laminated glass bearing capability is 2 times that of PVB laminated glass,but the bending deflection of SGP laminated is only 1/4 of PVB laminated glass under the same thickness and load condition.
The tearing strength of SGP interlayer is 5 times higher than PVB film,even if the glass breaks,the SGP can also stick the glass and form a temporary structure while keeping small bending deformation,it can withstand a certain amount of load and whole piece laminated glass won’t fall or deform. Laminated glass processed with SGP interlayer film can effectively block damage to buildings when a hurricane strikes. it can greatly improve the impact resistance of safety glass. Performance, anti-theft, anti-riot performance and anti-disaster performance.
Learn more:PVB Laminated glass VS SGP laminated glass
Polycarbonate laminated glass.
PC board is not easy to break, and its compressive strength is 250 times that of float glass, and it is 50-100 times stronger than that of tempered laminated glass. Even if it is hit with a hammer, there is no risk of breakage. The total area of the enterprise can accept a crash compressive strength of 91kgf-cm/cm, and a tensile strength of 739kgf/cm^2.
Polycarbonate laminated glass are usually used as anti intrusion glass,and bulletproof glass,so it has the highest strength against hurricane,but its price is extremely high.
Below video offered by Rizhao Fangding which shows the excellent safety performance of PC laminated glass.
PVB Tempered laminated glass: Typically laminated glass combination is 10+1.52PVB+10 ,now exw price is about USD50/SQM. Thicker glass and PVB interlayer will cause higher price.
SGP laminated glass: It depend on the SGP interlayer thickness, 6+0.89SGP+6 exw price is USD65/SQM,while 6+1.52SGP+6 exw price is USD95/SQM.
PC laminated glass:the extra costs is PC board price, usually USD30-50/SQM higher than same combination glass without PC board.
Despite simple laminated glass ,the hurricane resistant glass also can be made into laminated insulated glass to increase the glass thermal insulation performance.All kinds of low e coatings,warm edge spacer,argon can also be added to further decrease the glass U value.
Hurricane resistant glass can not only been used in glass curtain wall,glass skylight,railings,windows&doors,but also used as structural glass applications,for example glass stairs,floors,glass bridge,and special glass for its awesome safety performance:Bulletproof glass,anti-intrusion glass etc.
Windows frames requirement for hurricane resistant windows
The glass is only part of hurricane proof windows,the combination of glass and the frame is your good protector against the storms.The windows water tightness,air tightness and wind resistance are the most important points.
Water tightness:
when the doors and windows face the storm, they can still keep the interior dry, and there is no trouble of water leakage. Among the doors and windows of various materials, aluminum alloy doors and windows have better water tightness.
watertightness of hurricane proof window
Wind resistance:If a high-impact force can knock glass out of its fitting, then rain, wind, and debris will enter through the frame space. In extreme cases, your entire window could be pushed through, letting Mother Nature directly into your home mid-storm.
Heavy duty framing and strong enough installation is the most important factor protecting your property,so identify and selecting the right hurricane windows manufacturer and supplier is essential ,especially when the windows costs is extremely high.
Another point to consider is the surface treatment of your windows frames,seashore airs always contains salt and other component that cause corrosion on your frame and decrease it’s strength,and affect the appearance.
hurricane proof folding doors-morn
Morn is your turnkey hurricane proof glass manufacturer and supplier in China,if you got any hurricane proof glass requirement,contact us,let’s work together to protect your house.