The concept of safety glass began as a means to reduce glass-related injuries. In 1909 the first successful patent for safety glass was approved. Working in France, artist and chemist Édouard Bénédictus developed the use of celluloid bonded between two pieces of glass. This idea of holding the glass together built a basis for the first successful shatterproof glass, known as safety glass. Now, over 112 years later, nanotechnology is moving forward to make significant changes to glass safety once again.
With today’s climate of increasing social unrest, protests, riots, and school shootings, science turns to finding a better way to protect our patrons and property. As the world continues to evolve, it further became apparent that tempered glass needed a higher security level for prominent buildings, government, and educational institutions. Science looked to nanotechnology for a laminated safety glass solution by merging the concepts of holding the laminated glass together and an increased need to reduce a window’s vulnerability to impact, attack, and blast.
What is nanotechnology? Nanotechnology is a way to change the glass at a molecular level. In this case, science sought to improve the glass’s strength and durability without increasing the thickness and overall weight of the product. Typical security glass can be heavy and thick, often requiring additional support. There was a need to heighten the security benefits for which glass had an exceptionally high vulnerability. Nanotechnology glazing stepped forward in a huge way.
Founding discovery of nanotech in glass.
The discovery of the carbon nanotube led the groundwork for Rice University in Houston, Texas, to develop the C-Bond Secure nanotechnology solution. When used on annealed glass, it enhances the tensile strength of the glass surface. The safety glazing solution enters into the glass molecules. It lets ordinary glass dissipate energy by permeating the glass surface. It repairs microscopic flaws and design gaps that naturally occur in normal glass. Repairs make toughened glass that is inherently more strong and resistant to impact. Scientists have established that carbon nanotubes (CNT) are the strongest material on the planet. CNT presents 100 times stronger than steel and diameters typically measured in nanometers (approximately one billionth of a meter). Knowledge is where ideas are born.
Research and development with renowned glass experts
With the product concept in mind, C-Bond Systems partnered with the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio, Texas, a research organization specializing in creating and transferring technology. Rice University in Houston, Texas, is a renowned world leader in nanotechnology. Also a Nobel Prize recipient, the Smalley Institute of Nanoscale Science & Technology for discovering the carbon nanotube.
C-Bond Systems also developed partnerships with Swansea University and Glass Technology Services Ltd., exploring improvements to strengthen glass products. Swansea University is a world-leading research-led university in the UK. Glass Technology Services Ltd. (GTS) is a world-renowned glass research center and consultancy in the UK. GTS provides glass expertise in research, testing, assessment, analyzing, training, and consulting in glass type and properties.
Research and development further enhanced and optimized the C-bond products and their supporting technology. For more information about our research, go to: https://C-Bondsystems.com/technology/.
The technology behind shatterproof glass. How does it work?
C-Bond’s engineering increases the mechanical strength and performance of glass at a molecular level. It sinks into the atomic build of ordinary glass, bonding to the molecules and repairing microscopic structure flaws that naturally weaken the glass. The bonding prevents failure initiators from triggering for longer amounts of time, allowing the glass unit to resist more pressure.
Along with the bond that strengthens the glass, it also fills capillary voids on the glass surface. This additional fill increases the surface area and reduces trapped oxygen providing the optimal environment for the adhesion of a security film to glass sheets. Improving the connection once again raises the strengthening bond and effectiveness of the glazing material and safety glass film products. Applying layers of security window film combined with the nanotechnology solution provides expert results of up to a 93% increase in strength.
Stepping outside of safety glass, understanding the discovery.
The realization that this technology had a larger application value than the auto industry soon became transparent. Tempered safety glass revolutionized the automotive industry due to automobile accidents and glass-related injuries. We were going to revolutionize glass windows through our discovery. We now had the option to strengthen buildings and homes’ weakest security disadvantage – glass windows and doors. Business owners and luxury homes have an affordable solution for added security and resistance to breakage, burglary, vandalism, and impact. This technology reconfigured the glass molecules giving us a better and more secure piece of toughened glass.
Understanding Édouard Bénédictus’s theory of sandwiching and laying annealed glass with celluloid, rudimentary testing began to develop a patterned laying process with our products. We found that C-Bond Secure and multiple layers of high-quality security film layered in a specific design create the most optimum resistance. Now it was time to bring our theories to the testing ground. The Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) began multiple series of glass tests. Testing included many properties of the glass, including strength, flexure, impact resistance, and more.
The test results. Safety glass Vs. Bulletproof glass, how did it hold up?
The test results were statistically significant – that’s to say, stupendous! Starting with the concept of safety glass and holding broken glass together, we took nanotechnology into the world of glass to strengthen its properties. By adding multiple layers of security film with the nanotechnology glazing solution, we came out with ballistic-resistant glass that is thin and lightweight. Scientists created a new type of bulletproof glass.
The testing showed results greater than anticipated. There was zero penetration in multi-shots fired in ballistic testing under level 1 caliber .38 Special handgun fire. Continued level II testing used a caliber .38 Special and a 357 Magnum, and threat level IIA used a caliber .38 Special and a 357 Magnum. Still, results held solid with zero penetration through five successive impacts.
We began to test the ballistic capabilities further. Our research wanted to know if we could prevent threatening gunfire from outside. So, the testing facilities began investigating its one-way ballistic properties. We were looking for a bulletproof glass that enabled protective fire from inside out but held up under reverse fire. This feature could be amazingly beneficial to police stations, courthouses, and government buildings, to name a few. And the find… we had done it! One-way protective ballistic gunfire capability, a single-direction bulletproof glass. Shots can be fired from inside the building outward but resist multiple shots attempting to come inward.
We did test after test for burglary resisting impact testing, strength testing, blast resistance, and more.
The finalized glass products.
Extensively tested for optimal performance, we specially designed C-Bond Secure and the C-Bond BRS System. Our designs earned multiple levels of certifications for National Institute of Justice standards. We are validated to pass the NIJ Level I, Level II, Level IIA, and Underwriters Laboratories UL 752 ballistic resistance test standards. Want to learn more about the complete testing of C-Bond BRS? View our results.
C-Bond Secure patented nanotechnology, and C-Bond BRS (Ballistic Resistant System) are on the market and offer unparalleled safety glass alternatives. Office buildings, educational establishments, municipal establishments, government structures, and commercial buildings can benefit from the protection of C-Bond products. The effectiveness and easy application technique make these glass products unparalleled by their competition.
Watching technology improve regular glass and following scientific research was a fantastic journey. Patriot Glass Solutions is proud to be a part of this experience and an authorized dealer of these systematically founded products. Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about becoming an authorized C-Bond dealer.
