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Bob Crager
Bob Crager of Lewis Street Glass is a 26 year veteran in the glass business. Lewis Street Glass is a leading Wichita Glass company, serving the entire Wichita/Sedgwick County area since 1919. They do anything and everything having to do with glass, both residential and commercial. They also do Auto glass. They are located at 743 South Market, facing Kellogg on the South, and you can reach them by phone at (316) 263-8259. You can email Bob Crager at bcrager@lewisstreetglass.com
Glass
1969-12-31 18:00:00
Glass helps battle terrorism
Is bulletproof glass effective?
ANSWER: Yes, and it can even get better than that.In the war against terroristic threats and suicide bombers, there are some technological advances in glass that can be helpful in preventing the loss of life. One of the products is a one way bullet resistant glass that allows return fire through the glass while protecting from hostile enemy fire from the outside.  Better known as "unidirectional" armor, this unconventional armor is suited for unconventional warfare, and uncommon tactical situations. In some circumstances, there is no other option but to shoot back at the attackers in order to make the chance of survival a little better.During an ambush, this new technology one way glass protects the occupants from bullets from the outside of the vehicle, and allows them to return fire "through the glass" that is stopping the penetration of bullets from the outside...thereby allowing an escape to be effected. By providing suppressive fire against the aggressor from inside the vehicle, causing the attackers to have to take cover, a quick exit is sometimes made possible by driving away from the immediate danger of the attack. How does this work, you might ask?On the protective side, as a bullet strikes the acrylic (brittle, but very strong when compressed) outer layer, the acrylic is compressed, strengthens, and absorbs or distributes the bullet's energy. Simultaneously, the polycarbonate layer, which has flexible characteristics, stretches as it dissipates all the remaining bullet energy, and there is no full penetration. There is some "spider webbing" on the impact side of the glass, but the inside of the glass remains smooth and undamaged.On the “One Way” side, the reverse occurs - The polycarbonate is compressed, and the acrylic is stretched. The bullet easily passes through the soft polycarbonate layer, and into the acrylic layer, which becomes weak as it is stretched. The bullet shatters the acrylic and continues onward, with negligible loss of velocity, and practically no deflection.Testing is ongoing with regard to this product. The testing  was not only conducted for the already known "One Way" feature, but IMI also performed integrity tests relative to de-lamination, discoloration, and distortion, involving humidity, hostile climactic conditions, thermal shock and extreme ultraviolet exposure for 100 hours, which is equivalent of having 10 years of non-stop desert sun exposure. Proof-of-concept for this amazing glass product was confirmed by being certified by H.P. White Laboratories in the U. S., by Israeli Military Industries (IMI) in the Middle East, and by several European testing firms, as well as the Defense Ministry of Spain. Tests are also regularly performed to monitor bomb blast survivability of the armor glass. The internal surface survived smooth and undamaged in most of the tests performed so far. Some information contained herein was researched on the world wide web...more next month...
 
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