Analysis of laminated ballistic glass exhibiting edge cracking

A multi-layer laminated ballistic glass window system exhibited many fine hairline cracks around its perimeter. This ballistic glass window system was reportedly assembled using typical materials that had been previously used and performed well in the field without such cracking issues. Over the course of our investigation, several contributing factors were documented such as the presence of edge defects, manufacturing stress-risers and lastly the presence of various contaminants. A short analysis of the interaction between neutral-cure silicone products and polymers typically used in ballistic assemblies will be presented.