In many glass applications, occupant protection is both functional and an ethical prerequisite. Few materials can provide the performance and longevity of Trosifol® Spallshield® CPET, which is why it is found in safety and transportation applications around the world-construction, vehicles and railway rolling stock.
It was originally developed to meet the demand for tear-resistant or "friendly" windshields in the automotive industry-then used by General Motors in 300,000 top-of-the-line cars between 1986 and 1988-Trosifol® Spallshield® CPET is a type of Containing a two-layer composite structure film of polyester (PET) and a hard coating, it provides an inner shield that helps protect the occupant from peeling and tearing of the glass.
This film is very durable and chemically resistant, almost indistinguishable from glass. Since these laminates are glass/plastic composites, they combine the best properties of glass with those of plastic to form very light, thin and strong glass windows.
Panel manufacturing uses a standard lamination process, in which Trosifol® Spallshield® CPET is laminated to a PVB intermediate layer. Therefore, the final panel also has enhanced functional characteristics conferred by PVB, including glass retention after broken, enhanced accidental impact safety, long-term durability and excellent optical visibility.
Prelco Group is a company with extensive experience in anti-stripping applications. The group has been designing and manufacturing innovative glass and window solutions for commercial and institutional buildings, high-rise apartment buildings and vehicles for 65 years; suitable for the private and public sectors, including Public transportation and national defense.
Patricia McLean, Vice President of Industrial Sales of Prelco, said: “An application of the Montreal Intercity Transportation System STM (Montreal Transport Association) highlights the industry’s requirements for driver protection using composite membranes. The technical specifications for its new subway windshield-in In a car designed and manufactured by Bombardier, a customized impact requirement is defined. The pass/fail criterion is that the object that hits the object must not penetrate the inner surface of the windshield. The windshield or any glass fragments resulting therefrom (Fragmentation).
“Toronto’s commuter trains (GO-Transit Bi-Level Enhanced vehicles), also manufactured by Bombardier, have also been recently re-developed,” McLean continued. “A small square windshield is replaced by a larger, equipped with Spallshield. The replacement of the ® panel not only provides the driver with a better view, but also makes the train look more stylish and modern. In both cases, the screen complies with the 49 CFR Part 223 of the Federal Railroad Administration for locomotives and passenger cars And caboose safety glass standards.
Anti-flaking is very important, because almost all traffic authorities now state in their ethics that they attach great importance to the health and safety of operators (drivers). Even for glass that fully complies with current standards and regulations, an impact that is better than the standard may occur and cause such severe damage to the glass that people may permanently lose their eyesight. Trosifol® Spallshield® CPET provides additional protection to operators, greatly reducing this threat and helping them to stay away from objects large and small that might enter the vehicle through the windshield. "
Laminates with film composites provide designers and manufacturers with the flexibility to reduce weight and address a range of other functional challenges. "Polycarbonate inner layer laminated to glass is an option," McLean explained, "but polycarbonate has a different coefficient of expansion than glass and is prone to delamination. The CPET material used in Trosifol® Spallshield® CPET is not So. Some users may decide to use removable anti-graffiti films as peeling protection, but we do not recommend this approach because these films are designed to be removable and are not expected to have a long life. In addition, These types of films are usually installed on-site and can capture dust and debris that can damage the driver's eyesight.
According to Prelco's records, we were able to trace the use of this product back to 2001, but it is likely to be traceable to further places. Our records show that transportation authorities such as the New York City Department of Transportation and SEPTA have used our products with Spallshield® since at least 2004 and have not reported any issues. This is also true for major locomotive manufacturers and Class I railways. "
Railcars' demand for Spallshield's tear resistance is global. China Railway Corporation also specifies its use in its rolling stock to comply with national railway standards. According to Mr. Sun Jin, Technical Manager of the Glass Branch of Zhengzhou Railway Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., “It is mainly used in subways and light rails and can run at speeds of up to 160 km/h (100 mph).” Trosifol® technical service manager George Zhou added Said: "Our customers in China have used Trosifol® Spallshield® CPET for more than 10 years and have never considered changing their choice due to our application quality and functional performance."
Mr. Ren Qianshuo, executive director of Shenyang Liaohe Special Glass, gave the same praise to Changchun Rail Bus Company and Australian customers for the same type of applications. In both cases, the material's high stiffness, wear resistance and lamination process make it suitable from a functional and standard point of view.
With the adaptation of national and international railway standards and due diligence including more effective safety and protection measures, the global deployment of anti-stripping films is becoming larger and larger. In fact, according to Oriol Sierra of Bombardier, one of the world's largest rolling stock suppliers, the deployment of CPET film in Bombardier's fleet is very common. "Recent contracts using anti-stripping films include the Regio 2N train in France, the C30 subway model used in Stockholm, the R179 subway in New York and the BART in San Francisco. These films are also used in our TWINDEXX Vario and Express variants."
"Its durable hard coating and high abrasion resistance are key aspects of the performance of laminates with thin-film composites," explains Jennifer Schneider, manager of the structural and safety glass department at Crestford. "In fact, the hard coating is like another piece of glass, which allows engineers to reduce the weight in the design. The material is also chemically resistant to most solvents, including methanol, acetone, and methylene chloride, which is often An important feature of products that touch the general population, in terms of cleaning and graffiti removal requirements. It also has excellent acceleration and natural weathering characteristics.
Its main feature-preventing peeling-can also be used in other applications," Schneider explained. "One of its first uses was for hurricane applications. In fact, the Islamorada Fisheries Company of Fort Lauderdale still retains its original windows with Spallshield®... completely intact, and they looked as good as they were the first time they were installed. The 45/7 (1.14 mm (45 mil) PVB and 0.18 mm (7 mil) Trosifol® Spallshield® CPET film) products are actually the first commercial products to pass the Dade County Hurricane Impact and Bicycle Test!
In addition to the instances purchased due to extreme weather," Schneider added, "Spallshield® is also an important feature of many bulletproof and bomb explosion applications, such as those seen in government, civilian and military infrastructure, and armored vehicles. There are alternatives on the market, but in all its main applications, no product can match the performance, life, flexibility and compatibility of this product. "
Since its launch, Trosifol® Spallshield® CPET has evolved from a relatively niche product into a prerequisite for many industries, especially the railway industry. Its physical protection capabilities match its functional attributes, allowing engineers not only to be assured that they are providing the best occupant protection, but also to reduce weight, increase strength and promote long-term beauty. As the market evolves and standards evolve, Spallshield® will become commonplace in a variety of glass applications.
Trosifol is a global leader in PVB and ionoplast interlayer films for laminated safety glass in the construction sector. Trosifol offers outstanding solutions with the broadest product portfolio:
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