Glass used for military vehicle windshields is being put to the test by an Oak Ridge National Laboratory team evaluating different formulations for mechanical strength, high pressure and shock response. The goal of the team, headed by Andy Wereszczak, is to identify compositions featuring satisfactory transparency, low density and the ability to be cost-effectively fabricated into large thick sheets. The work, being performed for the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center in Warren, Mich., takes advantage of ORNL’s unique instruments, capabilities and expertise. Ultimately, this research is expected to explain why various glasses yield substantially different ballistic impact performance and different failure and fracture phenomena.
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