Safety Glass Test Developments

Ray V. Foss

An ISO Standard is needed __ and is being
developed by TC 160 __ to determine safety
related performance of glass-based glazing
panels for impact events representative of
accidental human body contact. Development of
performance-based safety glazing standards are
reviewed, with a number of examples and a
chronology to support application of the
performance concept to essential requirements
for safety glazing.
Shot-bag pendulum tests have been widely
established as jurisdiction user requirements for
human impact simulation, which suggests a basis
for acceptable technical equivalence. Criteria for
explicit technical equivalence are described.
Comparisons of scope and aim of international
“safety glass” standards appear to indicate
movement from previously accepted “human
impact simulation” performance standards,
evolving into somewhat more prescriptive “impact
test methods” __ more for quality control.

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