Can a Tampered Glass Pane shatter on it's own? (without impact)
- CB IT
- Jan 19
- 1 min read
Unfortunately yes. The reason of this happening is most often the inclusion of Nickel Sulfide (NiS). What is it?
This is a mineral inclusion of a magnitude difficult to perceive with the naked eye.
The images clearly reveal the origin of the tempered glass failure, particularly under magnification, where a minute black speck is distinguishable at the epicenter.
This is the notorious Nickel Sulfide (NiS).
Manufacturers of insulating glass units (IGU) mitigate the occurrence of spontaneous tempered glass breakage by implementing the Heat Soak Test (HST).
This process entails subjecting the glass pane to a specific temperature (approx. 260°C) for a prescribed duration.
Regrettably, even this procedure does not completely eliminate the probability of spontaneous breakage; however, it significantly reduces the incidence rate.
That is why, when ordering large panes, especially ones that will be hard to replace after installation, we always suggest doing the HST test on tampered glass.
