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30.01.2012
HISTORY OF TRIPLEX SAFETY GLASS

HISTORY OF TRIPLEX SAFETY GLASS

Glass is very dangerous and traumatic material itself. It is rather riskful to process glass because in case of careless handling it flies into pieces. However, there is no hopeless situation, that’s why safety glass called Triplex has been used in production over the last decades.

When and how did this material appear?

Edward Benedictus, French chemist, invented it in 1903 when during a repeated test he accidentally dropped a glass bulb. Fantastically, the bulb dropped onto the floor and did not break apart but only cracked keeping its initial shape. Benedictus remembered that there were residues of collodion, ether-alcoholic solution of cellulose nitrate, in that bulb. Volatile mixture had vaporized and transparent, thin, faintly visible layer of cellulose nitrate remained on sides of bulb which preserved the bulb from splitting. That discovery quickened the scientist’s interest and he proceeded the research of it.

After some tests with laminated glass Edward Benedictus prepared sandwich-like glass: glass, layer of cellulose nitrate and glass. Under heating middle layer melted and glued the layers of glass together. This construction did not lose its shape or fly into pieces but only crazed.

Details about triplex production technology see in section «Useful information».