Windscreen tit bits . . .
The windscreen is an often neglected component of the vehicle. The windscreen is much more important than a mere screen between you and other road users. The safety needs stretch far beyond the obvious requirement of visibility for the driver.
In today’s vehicles, windscreens are an important component of the vehicle’s overall structural integrity — they are designed to add strength to the car (like a door pillar). When designed in compliance with the car manufacturer’s original specifications, your windscreen will help prevent the roof from collapsing in a rollover accident.
Modern cars fitted with airbags use the windscreen as a support surface against which the passenger airbag inflates. The windscreen helps ensure that the airbag is properly positioned to protect the occupants when it deploys. A badly-fitted windscreen may pop out when subjected to the airbag pressure, thus rendering both airbag and windscreen useless.
While windscreen repair is less expensive than replacement, if you wait too long and the damage spreads, windscreen repair will no longer be an option. Remember that just because a windscreen is chipped doesn’t mean that it needs to be totally replaced. Mostly 30% of the time a windscreen can be easily and effectively repaired before the damage worsens. The important thing is that, once a motorist notices a chip or a crack, it must be repaired as soon as possible, to prevent further damage that might impair visibility.
History of windscreens
It’s funny to think that in 1904 the very first windscreen was no more than a thin glass pane that was only offered as an extra in the early Ford Model T cars.
Fast forward years later and we now have rain-sensing wipers, panoramic windscreens, smart glass and much more.
As technology and innovative minds continue to propel the automotive industry forwards and upwards, the need for more has never been stronger.
A vehicle is no longer a shell with four wheels and an engine that takes you from points A to B. It’s about how convenient, comfortable and easy your ride is as you go from one location to another.
It is quite clear that windscreen technology has become a fundamental part of car design and manufacturing, with most car companies including Mercedes, BMW and Tesla releasing new gadgets every year.
The origin of the first windscreen
The first vehicles to hit the roads were not particularly fast, but that didn’t mean that drivers couldn’t get hurt by flying stones, insects and other airborne threats, no matter how small. This led to the introduction of the first windscreen in 1904. It was not much more than a glass pane, similar to a normal house window. It was a divided pane of glass so that when the top half got dirty the driver could fold it down. Windscreens were only offered as an extra in the early Ford model T cars.
This system changed in 1915, when Oldsmobiles were sold with the top and windscreen as standard.
As cars became more commonplace, more injuries occurred. It became typical for drivers to be injured by pieces of flying glass after an accident, or by going head first through the windscreen then referred to as “the glass necklace”.
Then came laminated glass windscreens.
After many accidents and pressure from the public, henry Ford started to seek out an improved version of the windscreen. As most cars were now glass, the demand was growing and glass became hard to come by; it also became prohibitively expensive. Over time, methods did improve and by the late 1919, the Ford company started using laminated glass, which over the next 10 years became a feature on all Ford vehicles.
Numerous changes were subsequently made over the years, and in 1937 the use of safety glass was made compulsory for all vehicles. Followed by tempered glass
A significant breakthrough was made in 1938 when Pittsburgh Plate produced tempered glass which was significantly more shatter resistant than regular glass. Despite its added attributes, this glass (herculite) was thinner than laminated glass and much cheaper to produce.
Windscreen tints and dye films
This windscreen took another leap forward when Studbaker produced the first curved windshield in 1947. Another 10 years on and manufacturers started adding tints to the windows, especially the top portion to reduce glare.
Nowadays, the windshield is quite different, often bigger and more raked. Manufacturers also cover the windshield with a dyefilm to reduce infrared rays and prevent too much heat entering the vehicle.
Rain-sensing wipers
The name says it all, rain-sensing windscreen wipers that turn on automatically when it starts to rain, but how? Sensors are installed on the windscreen which measure the amount of rain that gathers on the windscreen using an infrared beam of light that detects how much light is reflected back through the glass. The more water on the glass, the less light is reflected, which in turn activates the wipers, adjusting its frequency according to the amount of water on the windscreen.
You’re probably thinking how will this benefit me? It removes one less thing you have to think about when navigating through extreme weather conditions, which improves on your safety and wellbeing on the road. — deansautoglass.com