Laminated Glass

Laminated glass consists of a tough plastic interlayer made of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) bonded between two panes of glass under heat and pressure. Once sealed, the glass sandwich behaves as a single unit and looks like normal glass. Laminated glass provides durability, high performance, and multifunctional benefits while preserving aesthetic appearance.

Similar to car windshield glass, laminated glass may crack upon impact, but the glass fragments tend to adhere to the plastic interlayer rather than falling free and potentially causing injury. Laminated glass resolves many design problems, offering increased protection from the effects of disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and bomb blasts.

Annealed, heat-strengthened, or tempered glass can be used to produce laminated glass; the glass layers may be of equal or unequal thickness. With respect to solar control, laminated glass retains the characteristics of the glass making up the assembly. Reflective coatings and frit patterns may also be applied within a laminated glass sandwich. Laminated glass can also be used as a component of an insulated glazing unit.

Glass has inherently poor acoustic properties, but laminated glass, alone or combined with additional glass plies to form a sealed, insulating glass unit, outperforms other glazing assemblies. Laminated glass reduces noise transmission due to the PVB layer's sound-dampening characteristics.

Laminated glass is produced by permanently bonding two pieces of glass together with a tough plastic interlayer (polyvinyl butyral) under heat and pressure.
Once bonded together, the sandwich behaves as a single piece.
The interlayer is invisible when viewed through the glass and with glass on either side, the finished lite is indistinguishable from plain glass when installed.
Most often, laminated glass is produced from annealed glass, but heat strengthened or tempered can be used when special performance needs are present.
The benefit of laminated glass is that if broken, glass fragments adhere to the plastic interlayer rather than falling free and potentially causing injury. Laminated annealed glass can be cut or drilled.
Laminated glass is required in sloped glazing applications that exceed any of the following conditions:

The area of each pane (single glass) or unit (insulating glass) exceeds 16 square feet.
The highest point of the glass is greater than 12 feet above any walking surface or other accessible area.
The nominal thickness of each pane exceeds 3/16 inch.

What are Other Benefits of Laminated Glass? Laminated glass is highly effective in reducing noise thus improving Sound Transmission Ratings. The best design incorporates laminated glass in an insulated unit. The damping characteristics of the plastic interlayer combines with the attenuating characteristics of the air space of the IG unit to maximize sound reduction.

Laminated glass eliminates 99.9% of ultraviolet rays, making it highly effective in protecting furnishings, displays, merchandise, etc