How Much Force is Required to Crack a Windscreen?

Windscreens are installed in cars to protect the driver from the elements as well as keeping airborne projectiles from entering the car. This is whythe windshields are made strong enough to withstand the external forces they are under. But, how much force does it need to crack a windscreen? Let us find out.

Surface Area and Contact Point

Force is the product of mass and acceleration. So, logically, anything that weighs more is moving at a high velocity should create enough force to crack a windscreen. However, observations suggest otherwise. Sometimes even a small object that doesn’t even have that much weight can cause a crack on the windshield but a speeding bullet can’t. The reason for this is that the surface area of the object and its contact point with the windscreen need to be appropriate in order for an object to put a crack in the windscreen. So, if a small object hits the windshield at the right spot, it can easily crack it since all its force is concentrated at that particular area whereas this isn’t the case for larger objects.

Objects That Can Crack Windscreens

Windscreens are usually very tough but like all other car parts, they are vulnerable to damage. Flying objects and projectiles kicked up from the road or other vehicles can easily damage them. While they might not be able to break the windscreen, they can put a crack in it nonetheless. These objects include small stones that hit the windshield whenever you are driving on a bumpy road. A broken spark plug from another vehicle on the road can also put a dent in the windscreen as well. However, you can rest assured that if someone tries to punch in the windshield, they won’t be able to even scratch it.

How Cracks Deteriorate Windscreen Strength

Cracks can be extremely damaging to the strength of the car windscreen. A windshield that is already cracked is structurally weak. It won’t take much force for a cracked windscreen to break in case an accident occurs. The reason for this is that cracks in the windshield disturb the structural integrity of the glass and provide the outside forces a converging point. However, if you have a laminated windscreen then there is little chance of that happening. Such windscreens have a layer of lamination present in between two glass sheets. Thus, it can withstand much more damage. The easiest way to restore a windscreen’s strength is to get its cracks repaired by a professional windscreen repair service like Novus.

Novus is a trusted name in the windscreen repair business.Contact us and we will restore your windshield to its original strength. 

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Created on Sep 10th 2018 23:55. Viewed 303 times.

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