how the windshield started
TRANSCRIPT
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How The Windshield Started
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Most early cars did not have a windshield, they were manufactured with an open air
design.
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Drivers wore goggles to protect their eyes from the elements.
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The windshield became popular because it was an improved way to protect yourself
and your passengers from wind and debris.
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The first windshields were made out of glass.
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Instead of helping people, the shattering glass on impact would actually cause more injuries, then the windshield was meant to
protect.
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That is why auto manufacturers switched to using tempered glass.
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Tempering is a special process which makes the glass more shatter resistant.
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How A Windshield Is Made
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Most windshields are made using the “float method”.
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A special formula consisting of silica, soda ash, dolomite, cullet, and limestone mixed together, and then sent through a chamber
known as the float chamber.
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The float chamber is made of a sheet of molten tin, reaching a temperature of 1800
degrees Fahrenheit, where the glass is passed above this section of molten tin.
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The intense heat of the chamber causes the glass mixture to float above the molten tin while removing any impurities within the
glass.
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As the glass exits the float chamber the change in temperature causes the glass to harden just enough to move into the next
chamber.
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The next chamber, at around 400 degrees Fahrenheit, is much cooler than the float
chamber.
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This temperature allows for the annealing process where the glass is cooled slowly to
make it stronger.
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After exiting the last chamber the glass is cooled to room temperature and is now
ready to be cut.
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The section of glass is now placed into a mold that is heated to allow the glass to take
the shape of a windshield.
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Once the glass has taken its shape, the lamination process begins.
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A layer of poly-vinyl butyral is sandwiched between two sheets of tempered glass and
heated with an autoclave.
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The heating process turns all the layers clear making it see-through.
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Windshields Have Improved
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New research is being conducted every day to develop new ways to make glass safer and
more durable.
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Some glass can even resist UV light, fix scratches on its own, and has anti-fog
capability.
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Being shatter resistant and coated to reflect some of the sun’s rays the windshield has
now become one of the car’s most important designs and safety features.