Representatives of US-based Solutia Inc., the manufacturer of Saflex, the plastic interlayer that gives strength to laminated glass, was to present papers on noise reduction and safety to the automoti…
Representatives of US-based Solutia Inc., the manufacturer of Saflex, the plastic interlayer that gives strength to laminated glass, was to present papers on noise reduction and safety to the automotive industry at the 2000 International Body Engineering Conference (IBEC) and Exposition held earlier this month at the Cobo Center in Detroit. The result of intense studies, the papers were to highlight two benefits of the Saflex interlayer in automotive side windows – resistance to object penetration and noise reduction. Jun Lu, senior research specialist, Solutia Inc., presented the paper, “Enhanced Protective Glass for High Security Automotive Glazing,” on October 4 at 11:55 a.m. The paper detailed how a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) layer such as Saflex can deter object penetration through side windows, which is the primary method used to break into more than 1 million vehicles each year. Tempered glass, the standard side glass in most vehicles, requires less than two seconds to penetrate. In contrast, laminated glass requires 20-30 seconds to penetrate, an obvious deterrent to car thieves. In addition, the glass includes a layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) that adds stiffness to prevent window collapse or pullout. The result is a window that provides greater protection against intrusion and vandalism. Jay Pyper, manager, automotive market development, Enhanced Protective Glass, Solutia Inc., presented the paper, “Use of PVB in Laminated Glass for Passenger Vehicle Interior Noise Reduction,” on October 4 at 3:15 p.m. Pyper discussed the dampening effect of the PVB interlayer, which reduces wind and traffic noise entering the cabin. Because of this noise-reducing property, the glass is already being used in several airports and railway stations, as well as in side windows of a number of European automobiles such as Audi and Volvo. With less wind and traffic noise entering the cabin, drivers of vehicles manufactured with laminated side window glass such as Saflex enjoy a substantially quieter ride. IBEC is the only event in the world dedicated to automotive body systems. The event focuses on providing technology solutions to automotive body engineers. IBEC is sponsored by The Engineering Society (ESD) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).