Your Windshield is Not Just a “Wind-Shield” Any More – Part 1 of 2

Prior to the 1920’s there were very few horseless carriages and most operated at very low speeds. As a result, safety was not a high priority among the first motor vehicle manufacturers. However, as motorized vehicles developed and their speeds increased, the wind and debris coming into the faces of drivers became a serious concern. To alleviate this, manufacturers put glass in as a “wind shield”; to deflect the wind and protect the occupant from any flying debris and bugs. However, this did not solve the problem completely, as these new “windshields” did not adequately protect from occupants. Objects would frequently fracture early windshields, causing dangerous glass fragments that would harm the occupants of the vehicle.

In 1919, Henry Ford solved the problem of flying debris by using a new technology founded in France called glass laminating. Windshields made using this process were actually two layers of glass with a layer of cellulose in between. This inner layer held the glass together when it cracked or broke. Between 1919 and 1929, Henry Ford ordered the use of laminated glass on all of the vehicles coming out of his factory.

Today, windshields are no longer held together with cellulose but with a high strength vinyl call Polyvinyl Butyral, or PVB for short. This PVB must be .030 of an inch thick to provide the strength required to hold the occupants in the vehicle. In addition, it provides the necessary flexibility to reduce injury if a person is thrown into the glass during an accident. All currently fabricated windshields use this specification to satisfy federal motor vehicle safety standards for vehicle manufacturers.

Did you know that proper windshield installation is as important to your safety as seat belts, air bags and anti-lock brakes?

That’s right! Today, auto glass is more than just a shield to protect the driver and occupants from wind, weather and debris. Now the windshield also keeps you and your family from being ejected from the vehicle in a collision and adds to the structural integrity of the vehicle as a whole.

Proper auto glass installation is the key to your safety. There is a right way and wrong way to install auto glass in today’s cars and trucks. Autoglass installation requires a very strong, yet flexible, adhesive to bond the glass to the vehicle’s pinchweld frame. This adhesive must have great strength to withstand the pressures put upon it in the event of a collision. The most widely used automotive glass adhesive is called urethane. Be sure to ask your installer if the urethan they are using is Original Equipment Manufacturer, or OEM, approved. This means that is meets the safety standards of the original installation material.

Information courtesy of CASPA