Working Group Edge Strength
Head: Dr.-Ing. Matthias Seel (TU Darmstadt, Institute of Structural Analysis and Design)
The edge strength of glass – especially thermally tempered flat glass – is decisive for the dimensioning of thermally induced glass breakage (“thermal breakage”) and is largely dependent on the glass processing procedures. It should be noted that the type of finish (e. g. cut, ground, polished) and the edge shape (e. g. straight edge, C-edge, K-edge) per se cannot be used to determine the edge strength. In general, the strength depends on the respective manufacturing processes.
With optimized process parameters in glass processing, higher characteristic strengths can be achieved on the glass edge, as shown by extensive and published results on glass edges cut conventionally with cutting wheels. This offers users the opportunity to dispense with the often downstream thermal tempering process and make an important contribution to the sustainable use of glass.
The aims of the working group are:
- To develop and provide process-reliable recommendations for edge processing from cutting to polishing for higher-strength edges
- To provide users with verification options for determining edge strength
- To transfer the verified findings into data sheets and standardization
- To initiate further research projects
Future work in the working group will focus on downstream edge processing steps, such as glass grinding and polishing, as well as the dimensioning of glass edges. The validated results will be made available to members in the form of information sheets and will be incorporated into the standardization work.