Shatter-resistant glasses

In 1905, British inventor John C. Wood was working with cellulose and developed a method to adhere glass panes using celluloid as the adhesive. Wood s version of shatter-resistant glass was produced under the band name Triplex since it consisted of outer layers of glass with an inner layer of celluloid polymer. 

The Synthesis and Fabrication of Ceramics for Special Application 125 17.3.2. Preparation of Giasses for Speciai Applications 17.3.2.4. Strong and Shatter-Resistant Glasses... 

Strong and Shatter-Resistant Glasses 17.3.2.4.1. Thermal Tempering. 

Glazing applications, shatter-resistant glazing, architectural and protective glazing, windows and skylights, sight glasses (e.g. observation windows), transparent thermo-formed products... 

The other development by ICI laboratories which made a vital wartime contribution was poly (methyl methacrylate), widely known as acrylic, Perspex or Plexiglas. First produced commercially in the UK in 1934, its rigidity, transparency and shatter-resistant properties were soon in high demand for glazing, aircraft canopies and protective screens because acrylics provided a lower density, weather-resistant alternative to glass (Figure 2.10). Production of poly (methyl methacrylate) increased 1200 per cent during the period 1940-43 due to the escalation in production of aircraft (Kline, 1944). 

Glass car headlight lenses have been virtually replaced by transparent plastics. These plastics can resist high levels of heat, are also shatter-resistant and can be moulded into almost any shape. 

---