“Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house…”

Metaphorical quotes like this use glass as a symbol for fragility. Just think about delicate little Cinderella and her glass slipper if you need any more convincing!

InventHelp’s Invention Girl has learned that the fragile reputation of glass may get a little beefier with the invention of a new type of blast-resistant glass. This blast-resistant glass could prove to be an effective and inexpensive way to better protect Federal buildings and other vulnerable structures.

In testing, the glass resisted a hand grenade-strength bomb explosion that originates close to the window panel. Although the glass cracked due to the impact of the explosion, it didn’t puncture the composite layer. This means that injuries caused by broken glass could be reduced or eliminated in the event of an explosion or attack. More tests are planned for larger-scale explosions and researchers are optimistic about the results.

What makes this glass particularly useful from a building standpoint is that it’s lighter and thinner (it measures only one-half inch thick), making it less expensive to manufacture. The inventors of this new glass replaced a layer of plastic found in conventional blast-resistant glass with a transparent composite material made of glass fibers embedded in plastic. These microthin fibers leave less room for defects in the glass that can lead to breakage.

Thanks for stopping by the blog at InventHelp, where our glass is always half-full!