In 2020 Lustalux was approached by the Estates Department of Derby University with a view to tendering for the installation of Safety Film to solve an issue they were experiencing with spontaneous glass breakage.
A tendering process took place which also included trial applications of both external safety film itself and an edge retention system.
Lustalux was eventually awarded the contract for the work to treat approximately 10,000 square metres of glazing including spandrel panels which are the “blank” panes of glass between floors.
The project took place between April and September of this year, all carried out externally using scaffolding and access cradles.
The film installed was an external weatherable (OSW) Safety Film manufactured by one of our principal manufacturers Solar Gard along with a “wet glaze” structural silicone applied around each frame to form a complete glazing containment system.
Now, should an incident of spontaneous breakage occur at the campus, any glass fragments will be held safely within the frame until the unit can be removed and replaced.
What causes spontaneous breakage to occur?
Toughened glass is manufactured by the rapid cooling during manufacture giving it impact resistance.
This can however cause a problem if contamination is present where the inclusion shrinks during the quench cooling process causing a potential conflict with the surrounding glass at a later date.
This event can take many weeks, months or even years to occur but when it does, the apparent “explosion” of a glass unit in a public place can be extremely alarming not to mention dangerous.
In areas where spontaneous breakage of toughened glass would pose a safety risk, safety window film can be installed to provide an unobtrusive protective layer.
The safety film will hold the glass fragments together and when combined with an edge retention system the glass will be safely held within the frame until it can be safely removed in one piece.
Lustalux has extensive experience in the supply and installation of safety and security films to mitigate potential harm from not only spontaneous breakage but also accidental and deliberate breakage caused by bomb blast, industrial explosions and forced entry.
For further information including no obligation surveys and presentation call our window film team today.
