Issues covered in the material:
- What are the types of windscreens according to the manufacturing method
- What types of windscreens exist, depending on additional functions
- What does marking on car windows mean?
- What motorists say about different windshield manufacturers
The functions of the windscreen in the car are the same as those of the windows in the house. The most important thing is to protect passengers and the driver himself from the effects of the external environment in the form of precipitation, dust, dirt, headwinds. After tinting, the glasses change their appearance, they add the property of protecting from the bright sun and prying eyes. The manufacturer can put a number of additional functions in the windscreens – a heating system, rain and light sensors, and other technical innovations. The types of windscreens differ in type, composition, functions, production technology. The article will tell about this.
Types of windscreens according to the manufacturing method
The load on the windows depends on their location in the car, but the highest falls on the front windshield, better known among car owners as the windscreen. Not only comfort depends on its reliability, but also the safety of the people in the cabin, whom it protects from possible injury and damage in an accident. The windshield is a transparent shield, which is an element of the car body and is designed to protect the inside of the cab from headwind, rain, snow, dust and dirt.
The type and shape of the windshield determine the aerodynamic performance of the car when driving, the smoothness of the flow of the oncoming air flow. And the design of the opening intended for the installation of this product significantly increases the rigidity of the entire body.
There are several main types of windscreens, the possibilities and features of which should be learned in more detail before making the final choice.
- Stalinite This tempered glass is mostly used for side windows. Differs in high durability – 5 times higher than usual. And if it is still possible to break it, then the stalinite disintegrates into many safe fragments with rounded edges. According to one version, the origin of the name is associated with the name and character of I.V. Stalin, according to another, more likely, high-strength glass was named by analogy with an equally strong metal alloy – steel.
- Duplex One of the first composite materials. It is a sheet of glass covered with a layer of transparent plastic, which gives the entire structure additional strength and safety from flying debris. Today “duplex” is almost never used in the automotive industry; it was replaced by “triplex”. However, domestic and industrial applications remained.
- Triplex If “duplex” is translated from Latin as “double”, then “triplex” accordingly means “triple”. The name of the material was automatically transferred to the frontal element of the car produced from it. A special polymer film is laid between two sheets of organic or silicate glass, hardening under the influence of light.It is clear that a triplex windshield is more reliable than a duplex, which is why it is used today by car manufacturers. But why not Stalin? Firstly, the triplex is much higher in strength. A pebble that has fallen into it will not fly right through, but will only chip off a small fragment of the upper layer. Chipping is easy to eliminate with liquid plastic. Secondly, the triplex is safe; upon impact, it does not crumble into fragments, they are kept on by the middle polymer layer.
- Multilayer auto glass Technologies do not stand still, it is no longer uncommon for a multilayer material, in which not one, but several adhesive polymer layers. Of course, the production of this type of windshield is more expensive, which affects the price of the finished product. But multilayer auto glass is much stronger and more reliable than triplex, they can even withstand a shot from a firearm.
Therefore, they are installed on vehicles subject to high risk – cash collection, armored, foreign executive class cars.
Types of windscreens depending on their additional functions
Regardless of the type of windshield, modern models are equipped with additional functions and capabilities:
- Colorless. Do not disturb visibility, do not distort the view outside the window.
- Tinted. The most popular types of windshield tinting are factory five percent blue, green or bronze. If desired, toning is done in a gradient way – from almost transparent to dense color.
- Athermal. They have the ability to protect the interior from temperature factors – overheating or cooling.
- With a sun protection filter. It looks like a dark strip at the top of the windshield and side windows.
- Soundproof. These types of windscreens for passenger cars protect those in the cabin from external noise, engine sound and wheel travel.
- Heated wipers or fully heated. In the first case, the function prevents the wipers from freezing. In the second along the perimeter or on the total area of the windshield, ice does not form.
- With rain or light sensor. The on-board electronics receive information from these sensors about precipitation and illumination on the road, setting up an automatic system of wipers and optics.
- With built-in antennas. Improves communications, radio, navigation and other devices that use electromagnetic waves in their work.
- UV and IR protected. The first type works as sunglasses, protecting the eyes of the driver from excess radiation, and the second maintains a comfortable atmosphere in the cabin, preventing it from overheating in summer
What does marking on car windows mean?
On the windows of any vehicle in the lower corner, you can see a matte decal with the markings applied. It usually consists of a series of numbers, letters and special designations. It is more often paid attention to when buying used cars since the marking can be used to determine whether the owner changed the glass. If the replacement was in only one place, then this may be due to physical wear and tear or minor damage from an accidentally hitting stone. Although a possible accident cannot be ruled out. If several or even all of the glasses have been replaced in the car, then we can talk about the consequences of a serious accident, and you should take a closer look at the car you are buying.
