Introducton
Shelves are horizontal structures typically used in homes, offices and stores to hold or display items. The light and elegant aesthetic of glass can be combined with several colours to produce different effects (transparent, translucent or opaque) and combined with different glasses to create texture. Glass allows the use of different forms and shapes as it can be cut and shaped prior to final processing. Glass shelves can be used as a single structure attached to a wall or as part of furniture. In either case, the shelves are meant to display and hold items safely. In the event of breakage, which can happen to all glass, mitigating injury and damage is desirable. Laminated glass, with the ability to retain glass shards after breakage, and the tendency to stay together, may provide the split seconds necessary to move safely away from the area or catch an item before it plummets towards potential breakage or damage.
Which products fit in?
Eastman produces various interlayer products that can be used in furniture:
- Saflex Clear, the conventional PVB interlayer can be used for:
- Safety: in case of glass breakage from human or accidental impact, the shards of broken glass will remain adhered to the interlayer providing a reduction in cutting or piercing injuries. With properly glazed laminated glass in a framing system, fall through protection may also be provided.
- Storms: laminated glass with adequate interlayer thickness is capable of thwarting wind-borne debris from penetrating the façade and subsequently allowing destructive internal pressurization in severe windstorms such as tropical cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes. The ability of the interlayer to contain the glass shards after breakage has been demonstrated to contribute to enhanced glass retention during seismic activities as well.
- Security: a laminated glass configuration can be incorporated into a system to provide a sufficient level of protection against man-made intentional attacks, including vandalism and burglary, explosion resistance and ballistic assault.
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Vanceva® Earth Tones collection and Vanceva Colors interlayers bring forth the possibility of using a large range of color in a façade or as interior glazing without having to increase glass thickness to achieve color intensity, be delayed waiting for colored glass campaigns or ordering large quantities of custom colored glass. Both products provide the flexibility to customize or modify and improve the aesthetic of the façade.
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Saflex Structural PVB interlayer can be used in laminated glass configurations targeted for floors, stairs, fins, balustrades, guards and canopies.
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Saflex High Protection (HP) and Saflex Storm interlayers can be used when enhanced protection from tropical cyclones, typhoons and hurricane force winds with windborne debris are needed.
Furthermore, the various types of Saflex and Vanceva interlayers mentioned above can be combined between two pieces of glass or in the same glazing configuration to improve the overall performance of the glazing system and contribute to the optimum performance of the glass shelves.
