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The window glass at the front of the vehicle, through which the driver and the front passenger of the car see the road and the world, is known as the windshield. Most modern windshields are made of laminated safety glass and are bonded in place by a urethane sealant. The windshield was initially designed to protect vehicle occupants from the wind generated by travel, but over time, the windshield's role was expanded. Windshields are also a safety component in most passenger vehicles today, as they help contain front airbags when deployed.
At the beginning of the 20th century, horseless carriages began to use glass to protect drivers from harsh winds. However, the standard form of glass used did not adequately protect the occupants from flying debris. It also posed a risk to the occupants if the object struck the glass or the vehicle was involved in an accident.
In 1903, French chemist Edouard Benedictus stumbled upon shatter-resistant glass's secret when he dropped a glass bottle filled with a dried collodion film. He found that the film-coated glass cracked but kept its original shape. However, this laminated glass would not have been used in automobiles until the 1920s.
Early windshields consisted of tempered glass, a form of glass created using a specific heat treatment that makes the glass more difficult, efficient, and resistant to shattering. The laminated multi-layer glass pane is considered to be the safest out of both of these options. Many countries, including the United States, currently require cars to use windshields made of laminated glass.
In addition to laminated glass, automakers began using tempered glass in the late 1930s. This type of glass is used in the vehicle's side and back windows and increases its strength through a heating and rapid cooling process that strengthens both the outer surface and the core of the glass.
Since then, NHTSA has implemented regulations affecting all areas of vehicle safety, including automotive glass. Some of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for automotive glass include:
Windshields themselves are made of unique glass shapes designed for windshields. This glass consists of fine sand silica, ash soda, dolomite, limestone, and limestone. Some formulations contain small amounts of potassium oxide and aluminum oxide. Unsurprisingly, silica is the main component, comprising between 60 and 70 percent of the entire formula.
Soda ash reduces the mixture's melting point, while dolomite makes the substance more foldable and more comfortable to operate. Limestone offers an additional improvement in the durability of the product. Once blended with water and heated to a very high temperature, the mixture is incorporated into a glass.
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