11 June 1998: On 29 May this year, during the closing session of the 4th Annual South Florida Hurricane Conference, the US chemicals operation DuPont (which produces PVB interlayers for laminated glas…
11 June 1998: On 29 May this year, during the closing session of the 4th Annual South Florida Hurricane Conference, the US chemicals operation DuPont (which produces PVB interlayers for laminated glass) launched its new patented, hurricane-resistant glass. In the first-ever live demonstration of a hurricane code test using an occupied building, DuPont fired a shell at the Broward Center complex to illustrate that its new SentryGlas(R) Plus interlayer for laminated glass is the next generation in security and storm protection. In the test, a window system must resist the impact of a shell fired twice from a cannon at 50 feet per second. SentryGlas(R) Plus passed the test at 60 feet per second, which is 40% higher. A second test involves simulating the negative and positive forces experienced as a hurricane passes through an area. SentryGlas(R) Plus installed in a proper window frame system can withstand a series of 9,000 inward and outward wind-pressure cycles that simulate the push/pull force of hurricane winds. “We believe so strongly in this product that we had to show South Florida how it will protect one of its very own cultural treasures,” said Jeff Granato, architectural marketing manager for DuPont. Granato added that the company had invested US$ 13 million in research and development of a glass with higher design pressure ratings and greater utility for a broader range of applications. The new technology reportedly offers five times the tear strength and nearly 100 times the rigidity of conventional laminated safety glass for protecting larger-sized glass in commercial buildings and institutions, thus exceeding South Florida building codes, When the Broward Center opened in 1991, it met all existing building codes. But as with hundreds of public buildings in South Florida, Hurricane Andrew highlighted the vulnerability of even recent constructions. Virtually every study conducted after Hurricane Andrew identified the loss of windows and doors as one of the leading causes of building damage. For that reason, the Broward Center is replacing 17,000 square feet of its existing glass with more hurricane-resistant window systems. To assist in this undertaking, DuPont has offered to donate more than half of the SentryGlas(R) Plus interlayer including the testing of the specific hurricane code window system to be installed at the Broward Center.