Laminating

ESG TuffLam

Toughened glass is four to five times stronger than annealed glass of the same thickness and is ideally suited to most safety critical applications. However, its use at high level must be subject to careful consideration because if it is broken the glass will shatter into small pieces and will no longer support a load or act as a barrier. Consequently, toughened glass that is not fully framed is likely to fall from its fixings.

The safe solution is ESG TuffLam which consists of sheets of toughened Safety glass bonded together with a tough plastic interlayer which enhances safety and security as well as retaining glass fragments in the event of breakage.

ESG TuffLam normally has two panes of glass and either a clear PVB (PolyVinyl Butyrall) or EVA (Ethylene and Vinyl Acetate copolymer) interlayer for design applications. Multi-ply laminates with three or more glass panes and two or more interlayers are available for use as flooring, fins, beams and other structural applications.

Clear toughened Laminated glass has a slightly lower light transmission than ordinary glass of the same thickness. It is thermally safe and will resist high temperatures without breakage.

ESG TuffLam is available in a wide range of glass, interlayer and thicknesses and can be used to satisfy all safety glazing requirements of Approved Document N of the Building Regulations and BS 6262 part 4. Subject to calculation it can be used to form full height barriers, infill panel barriers as well as free standing barriers (structural Balustrades) in compliance with Approved Document K of the Building Regulations and BS 6180.

Benefits

The principle benefits of toughened Laminated glass are its strength and performance under impact. It is capable of withstanding very large loads and in the unlikely event of being broken the resulting fragments will be retained by the interlayer. When properly glazed, it will normally remain in place until replacement is convenient. The strength of ESG TuffLam makes it ideal for use as Balustrades and barriers, canopies, floors, fins and for bomb blast resistance.

The interlayers have additional benefits. Standard interlayers reduce sound transmission, particularly at the higher frequencies. High performance acoustic interlayers provide enhanced sound control. Ultra-violet light transmission (between 320 and 380 nanometres) is reduced by 99% and solar control (tinted) interlayers are also available.