Laminated vs safety glass

[Mark McDonald <tomswift@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Christopher Hoffman wrote:

> Oneof514@xxxxxxx (Oneof514@xxxxxxx) wrote:
> > Safety glass used in autos, is laminated, layers of plastic and glass.
>
> But very, very few cars have ever had laminated rear windows. Typically
> laminated glass (two panes of glass sandwiching a clear plastic film) is
> used only in the windshield.
>
> Delaminating is a term used to mean anything that separates from something
> attached in the same plane, such as a glass window on a plastic surrounding
> curtain. The best thing to do when a repairman uses terms one does not
> understand, however, is to ask for more explanation...

I understand what delamination means.  However, I don't think the repairman
does, or if he does, I don't think the term applies here.  Even if we were
talking about a front windshield, windshields rarely "delaminate."  They may be
broken, but the layers that are bonded together at the factory generally stay
bonded until some catastrophic event occurs, such as a person's head going
through one in a car wreck.

Delamination usually refers to a slow process that takes place over time, as in
the glue between two layers breaking down and allowing the layers to pull
apart.  If you have an old Formica tabletop that is coming apart, that is an
example of delamination.  Since there are no such layers in the glass used in a
rear window, there can be no "delamination."

Simply gluing one type of material (vinyl) to another type of material (glass)
is not lamination, as I understand it.  If you took multiple thin layers of
vinyl and glued them together with the grain at different angles to form one
thicker, stronger material, that would be lamination.  The attachment of a
single pane of glass to a single sheet of vinyl does not, in my opinion, mean
"lamination."  So I still think the salesman's use of the term is incorrect.

However, I think Greg Acker's explanation may be the best so far.  It may be
impossible to duplicate the way the factory joined the glass to the skirt
without replacing the glass.

Mark