tempering & heat soak testing
Annealed
Annealed LINIT channel glass is the standard of the industry. When broken, the characteristic large shard break pattern of annealed glass is easily recognizable. Typical compression strength is 3,500 psi. Annealed channel glass is not a safety glass and must have an ANSI Z-97 approved safety film applied to the three inside faces if it is to be installed in safety glass conditions.
Tempered
Lamberts originated the tempering process for channel glass up to 23' long and constructed custom tempering ovens exclusively for tempering three dimensional channel glass. Their machinery, procedures, and experience yield dimensionally consistent glass.
Improperly tempered channel glass typically exhibits bow, warp, and twist making it difficult or impossible to install. Poor tempering may also yield glass of inferior compression strength.
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Tempered LINIT channel glass is annealed channel glass that has undergone a second heat treatment in a tempering oven to strengthen the glass and raise the compression to 10,000 psi or greater. Tempered channel glass is three to four times stronger than annealed channel glass and is recognized by its break pattern - relatively small, harmless fragments. This phenomenon, called "dicing," markedly reduces the likelihood of injury to people as there are no jagged edges or large, sharp shards.
Because of its significantly added strength, tempered channel glass is often used in designs requiring tall, uninterrupted spans of glass, avoiding the need for stacked wall joints.
IMPORTANT - Only Lamberts LINIT channel glass is independently certified by the SGCC - Safety Glazing Certification Council - as ANSI Z97.1-1984 and CPSC 16 CFR 1201 compliant. The SGCC is the highest level of independent third-party certification in the U.S. Every piece of Lamberts tempered LINIT channel glass is permanently etched with our assigned SGCC certification number to identify it and the Lamberts plant where it was tempered. The Lamberts factory is inspected on an ongoing basis by an SGCC-approved independent testing agency to ensure compliance.
Tempered LINIT Channel Glass has passed testing for the following certifications: Impact: ANSI Z97.1 & CFR 16, part 1201 category II - results: passed Compression: ASTM C1048 - results: 10,000 psi surface compression SGCC Certificate
Heat Soak Test
Lamberts heat soak test chambers are custom designed and exclusively used for testing their tempered LINIT channel glass. These chambers are independently calibrated, inspected, and certified by the Munich Technical University on a regular basis.
Lamberts 10-1/2 hour heat soak test procedure reheats the LINIT channel glass to a specific temperature in order to find nickel sulfide inclusions which can cause spontaneous breakage in fully tempered glass. Every piece of glass is tested - not random or partial testing - per the Bauregelliste 2002/1, part 11.4 in accordance with the German Construction Authority. Detailed test criteria available on request.
Note: Heat soak testing is recommended for all tempered glasses (not only channel glass) destined for exterior applications subjected to changing temperatures. The test is normally not required for interior applications.
Safety Glass (Tempered Vs. Film Vs. Wire)
Glass is a breakable material, which when broken into smaller sharp pieces often called shards, can cause serious injury. Safety channel glass, either tempered glass or safety filmed glass, reduces the risk of injury.
Because of its added strength, tempered glass is less likely to break by contact. If it does break, the small fragments are less likely to cause injury. For annealed glass, safety film must be properly applied to all three inside faces to safely hold the large broken pieces in place until the glass can be safely removed by an experienced glazier. Safety film may de-laminate over time. Consult a reliable film manufacturer for details.
Wired channel glass contains stranded wire completely imbedded as close to the center of the glass thickness as possible. Textured wired glass is sometimes used as decorative glass and breaks more easily than non-wire glass of the same thickness (see GANA).
Wire channel glass is not a safety glass unless an approved safety film is properly applied; it cannot be tempered.
See FAQ's for more information about where safety glass should be used.
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