The New Paper | Thursday, Oct 8, 2015 Mr Kelvin Fong's tempered glass shower cubicle suddenly shattered last month. After an investigation by the contractor, the break was put down to a mistake during installation, which missed out an additional bracket, putting additional stress on the glass. When he turned on the bathroom light in his Clementi flat one day last month, analyst Kevin Fong was horrified to see his glass shower cubicle in smithereens all over the floor.The tempered glass panel, which was fine when the family left home hours earlier, had shattered, mostly into tiny fragments. "I contacted the supplier the next day and we suspect that there was a problem during installation so it was missing a bracket, which made the glass wobble beyond its usual threshold," said Mr Fong, a father of two. The shower cubicle had been installed just over two years ago, he said.While Mr Fong and his family were lucky to not be injured, others were not as fortunate.Last week, a Coroner's Inquiry into the death of Mr Sebastian Wong, 24, revealed that he died in January after he fell on to the glass door of a shower cubicle, and sharp fragments pierced his neck.

But is this cause for homeowners to worry?Not exactly, said Mr Gary Lee, business development manager of Singapore Safety Glass (SSG), which supplies treated glass to builders around the world.SSG's local projects include the Supreme Court, River Safari and Changi Airport Terminal 3.Mr Lee noted that in Mr Wong's case, the shower screen had been made of heat-strengthened glass instead of tempered glass."When tempered glass breaks, it shatters into smaller pieces which have 'softer' edges, such that even if you get cut, it's less serious than 'ordinary' glass, which has very sharp edges," he said. Shower cubicle death sparks concerns about accidents recurring SHATTEREDOn the other hand, heat-strengthened glass breaks into shards similar to untreated glass, or annealed glass, said Mr Lee."When people refer to safety glass, it's only two types: tempered glass or laminated glass. One big misconception has been that any glass becomes 'safety glass' just because safety film has been applied on it," he said.

A safety film is a large piece of sticky tape pasted over glass to hold the shards together in case it breaks.But it provides a false sense of security because if the glass has not been treated properly, it can still cut through the film and hurt someone badly, he added.Interior designer Ian Teo, who has 16 years of experience in the industry, said the industry standard has been to use tempered or laminated glass within homes, especially for bathrooms and areas which may see high traffic."car door latch stuck in closed positionWhile clients might want to use normal untreated glass because it's cheaper, I would advise them to use either tempered or laminated glass simply because it is safer," Mr Teo said, adding that for the more cost conscious, he would make provisions in his designs for the glass to be put in areas where there is a low chance of breakingpocket door frame johnson hardware

, such as a display cabinet.Laminated and tempered glass can cost up to 50 per cent more than untreated glass, said Mr Teo, adding that one can check whether one has treated glass installed by checking the corner of a glass panel for the manufacturer's mark.While there are regulations for types of glass that can be used for the exterior of a building such as windows and at balconies, the type of glass used within the home is up to the home owner.garage door repairs honoluluFor instance, home owners who want to fit their windows with tempered glass- which has a tendency to spontaneously shatter - have to ensure the shards do not fall to the ground should the glass panel break.cheap storm doors winnipegAs for Mr Fong, who has since had the shower cubicle replaced, this is scant comfort."upvc door sale second hand

With all the cases of tempered glass spontaneously shattering in toilets, I hope the authorities will take note and perhaps regulate this area more," he said.This article was first published on October 6, 2015. Get The New Paper for more stories.Spontaneous Breakage of Glass Sometimes glass breaks in a building without any obvious cause. When this occurs, it could be due to glass edge damage or surface damage from handling and glazing that then weakens the glass during high winds, building or framing system movement, vandalism or a specific type of inclusion inside the glass. samsung double door refrigerator price 2014There are more than 50 types of inclusions in float glass, and while the most widely discussed is a nickel sulfide stone, this type of inclusion actually occurs very rarely.front door upvc handle

While nickel sulfide breaks are extremely rare, it’s still very helpful to understand how spontaneous breakage due to nickel sulfide can sometimes occur. When glass goes through the tempering process, it becomes four to five times stronger than standard annealed glass, making it great from a safety perspective. However, nickel sulfide stones that can form during the production of float glass due to nickel contamination, can end up in the center tension zone of tempered glass. When that piece of tempered glass is later exposed to varying temperatures in its final installed position, this tiny stone – which can measure from 0.003 to 0.015 of an inch in diameter – may grow in size, and cause the glass to shatter for no apparent reason. Again, while a nickel sulfide stone is one potential reason for spontaneous glass breakage, there is almost always a more common explanation, such as glass edge or surface damage from handling and glazing, building or framing system movement or poor engineering.

There are several facts to keep in mind about nickel sulfide and its role in glass breakage: Spontaneous breakage caused by nickel-sulfide stones occurs only in tempered glass, not in annealed or heat-strengthened glass. For this reason, Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG glass) recommends heat-strengthened glass whenever heat-treated glass is needed, except where building codes require a safety glazing. There is no known technology that completely eliminates the possible formation of nickel sulfide stones in float glass. And because nickel sulfide stones are so small, there is no practical way to inspect their presence in float glass. ASTM guidelines permit blemishes, including nickel sulfide stones between 0.020 and 0.100 of an inch depending on glass size and quality level, much larger than the typical nickel sulfide stone size. Most North American glass makers have controls that greatly reduce the likelihood of nickel sulfide formation. At Vitro glass, we don’t use nickel in any of our primary batch formulations and our glass plants use magnetic separators.

In addition, nickel-bearing metals are banned from all of our operations. Heat-soaking after fabrication may destroy some flawed glass panels, but the procedure does not guarantee 100% elimination of nickel sulfide inclusions. In addition, the heat-soaking procedure can increase costs, cycle times and scrap rates. For complete technical information about spontaneous glass breakage, read Vitro Architectural Glass Technical Document TD-138. For any other glass questions, please contact Vitro glass or call 1-855-VTRO-GLS (1-855-887-6457).From engaging videos on challenging technical issues to common industry terms, learn more about one of today’s most popular building envelope products. Click here to read about Paul Di Cesare, PPG Senior Account Manager for the Northeast Territory. Established in 1883, PPG is the first commercially successful U.S. glass company. Tempered glass is four times stronger than regular glass; heat strengthened is just two times stronger.

Pure glass is incredibly strong – it only scratches or breaks because of imperfections that can occur during the manufacturing process. The first insulating glass units were developed in 1945 for the Pullman Car Company in Butler, PA. If you see condensation on the outside of your low-e glass windows, it means the coating is working properly. The word window comes from a Norse term translated "wind eye", for "eye on the weather." A standard float tank can produce glass 24 hours/7 days a week for up to 15 years before it needs to be rebuilt. Tempered glass deflects just as much as annealed glass. It also weighs the same. Insulated Glass Units are made with two or more lites of glass with a hermetically sealed space filled with dry air or insulating gas. Insulated glass units or double glazed units are a significantly more energy efficient glazing system than single glazing. IGUs reduce the likelihood of interior condensation forming by providing a thermal barrier between the inside and the outside.

The thermal barrier makes interior spaces more comfortable as it is easier to maintain a consistent indoor environment. Thermal or insulation improvements achieved with an IGU work day and night in both summer and winter conditions, reducing heat entry and heat loss. IGUs reduce sound transmission and provide quieter interior spaces. Clear glass isn’t actually clear. It has a light green tint, which can be seen when held against a white background. Due to the chemistry involved in the float glass process, all the colors of the rainbow are not possible. For example, orange, red, yellow and violet colored glasses cannot be produced using standard float technology. How much does glass weigh? Glass 6mm thick will weigh 2.9 lbs. per square foot. What’s the difference between “float” glass and “flat” glass? “Float” describes the process by which nearly all commercial “flat” glass is made, so “float” glass and “flat” glass are really the same thing.