Tempered Glass

Tempered glass creates permanent compressive stress on its surface through physical or chemical methods, significantly enhancing strength and thermal stability. It is the most widely used safety glass in modern applications.

Core Principles

• Physical Tempering: Rapid and uniform cooling (quenching) after heating creates a prestressed structure with "surface compressive stress and internal tensile stress."

• Chemical Tempering: Ion exchange (replacing sodium ions with larger potassium ions) "squeezes" a compressive stress layer onto the surface, suitable for ultra-thin or specially shaped products.

Key Performance

• High Strength: Bending strength is 3-5 times that of ordinary glass (120-200 MPa).

• Thermal Stability: Withstands sudden temperature changes of 220-250°C.

• Safety Characteristics: Breaks into small, blunt-angled granules, significantly reducing the risk of cuts.

• Stress Standard: Surface compressive stress ≥ 69 MPa (compliant with GB 15763.2).

Core Applications
Building curtain walls, doors and windows, shower enclosures, glass balustrades, automotive side windows, photovoltaic cover panels, furniture shelves, and other locations requiring compliance with safety regulations.

Important Considerations

• No Post-Processing: Cannot be cut or drilled after tempering; all processing must be completed before tempering.

• Optical Distortion: May exhibit slight "quench marks"; requires evaluation for projects with extremely high flatness requirements.

• Spontaneous Breakage Risk: Nickel sulfide (NiS) inclusions may cause spontaneous breakage. Heat Soak Testing (HST) can reduce the breakage rate to below 0.01%.

Development Trends
Developing toward ultra-thin (0.5-2mm) and ultra-thick (15-25mm) extremes, integrating with functional composites like Low-E coatings and lamination, and continuously optimizing spontaneous breakage rates.

Through stress engineering, tempered glass transforms brittle material into safe, reliable components, making it an indispensable foundational material in modern architecture and industry.