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Advertising supplement provided by Solutia Inc. and Viracon

Retrofitting

Existing buildings may often require retrofits for bomb blast threats due to changes in the building’s use or potential threat level. Conducting a risk assessment is the first step in determining the need to upgrade a traditionally designed building in order to protect its occupants. Laminated glass with a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer offers a long-term solution that is suitable for retrofit applications as well. With the abrasion-resistance of glass to the exposed surfaces and the function of the PVB interlayer, this combination can offer increased protection. There are a variety of retrofit system designs available to achieve this requirement and typically the laminate is installed to the interior (victim) side.

Bomb blast consultants

The involvement of blast consultants is fairly routine when projects require windows designed to mitigate the potentially lethal effects of flying glass following an explosive event. Window design is required to balance the features of the glazing, framing and attachments with the capacity of the supporting structural walls.

Typically, all hazard-reduction glazing products require product specific test results and rational analyses performed by qualified independent professionals. These specialists must demonstrate the performance of the product under specified blast loads and state whether or not they meet or exceed the minimum required protection levels.

Multi-functional glazing material

In addition to bomb blast benefits, laminated glass with a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer provides a security benefit by offering intrusion resistance. Laminated glass also significantly reduces noise transmission by acting as a vibration damper, which lessens the level of outside noise. In addition, the glass controls ultraviolet (UV) rays that contribute to the fading of carpets, draperies and furniture without compromising light transmission and visibility. Colored PVB interlayers can be combined to produce thousands of transparent and translucent color options to help architects and designers create the perfect tone and intensity for any application. In addition, high performance coatings and insulating glass (with the laminate to the interior/victim side) can be offered in conjunction with laminated glass with a PVB interlayer to meet the thermal performance needs and aesthetic desires of the building design. Therefore, solar performance and aesthetics do not have to be compromised for security protection and both can be achieved with the same product.