I checked, but alas, they weren't diamonds. They're probably the remnant of a fender-bender or a break-in. Imagine if the glass wasn't laminated - sharp shards of plate-glass would have lain where these relatively-harmless pieces now lie.
2 thoughts on “Glass not diamonds”
Seattleite
Picky, picky but… That shattered glass was “toughened” not” laminated”. See descriptions of the difference via Wikipedia:
Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by an interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), between its two or more layers of glass. The interlayer keeps the layers of glass bonded even when broken, and its high strength prevents the glass from breaking up into large sharp pieces. This produces a characteristic “spider web” cracking pattern when the impact is not enough to completely pierce the glass
Toughened or tempered glass is a type of safety glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering creates balanced internal stresses which cause the glass, when broken, to crumble into small granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury.
Ha ha, not picky at all. Thanks for the info Seattleite – I’d thought it to be laminated because I’m almost sure that I recall seeing that the “small granular chunks” were made from two pieces of glass that were bonded. That said, you’re right of course, the glass is toughened – normal laminated plate glass could still be fairly dangerous if broken.
Seattleite
Picky, picky but… That shattered glass was “toughened” not” laminated”. See descriptions of the difference via Wikipedia:
Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by an interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), between its two or more layers of glass. The interlayer keeps the layers of glass bonded even when broken, and its high strength prevents the glass from breaking up into large sharp pieces. This produces a characteristic “spider web” cracking pattern when the impact is not enough to completely pierce the glass
Toughened or tempered glass is a type of safety glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering creates balanced internal stresses which cause the glass, when broken, to crumble into small granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury.
Paul
Post authorHa ha, not picky at all. Thanks for the info Seattleite – I’d thought it to be laminated because I’m almost sure that I recall seeing that the “small granular chunks” were made from two pieces of glass that were bonded. That said, you’re right of course, the glass is toughened – normal laminated plate glass could still be fairly dangerous if broken.