| Safety Issues |
| Here you will learn the safety issues regarding your vechiles |
| Windshields Under Fire; Danger in Front of Your Eyes
Part 1 Dave Long, The Airbag Detective  Dave Long EMSResponder.com Contributor What you are about to learn is true and most likely will be new to you. It is a potential danger right in front of your eyes, that every driver and rescuer should know: Your factory installed windshield is an important part of the safety system of your car. But, if your windshield has been replaced, you may be in for trouble. First of all, I would like to dedicate this article to Mr. Len Stolk, Canadian Ford Engineer, who was one of the first persons to teach me this information in 1998. Stolk has since passed away from a second influence of cancer. He is survived by many friends and family in the USA and Toronto area. Secondly, to Jeannie Fransway, a young Wisconsin girl who died in a rollover crash when her replacement windshield popped out. It had been installed improperly. Her brother Jon Fransway, a Minnesota insurance agent, recognized the faulty replacement windshield installation, and consequently notified the national media, ABC News 20/20 in 1999. My condolences to both the families, and I want to thank the both of you for empowering me to share this "windshield story" in every one of my airbag training courses and with the responders around the USA. In 1998, I became one of the first EMS trainers to attend the Carlite Glass Replacement Course at the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. Accompanying me was Mitch Becker, Technical Consultant for ABRA Auto Body and Glass. Becker is a Master Automotive Glass Technician (M.A.G.T.) by the National Glass Association (NGA), and an I-CAR collision instructor with over 30 years in the business. Becker, a windshield expert, first told me of the importance of the windshield in a crash, and I was dumbfounded and in awe of what I was about to learn. At the Carlite windshield school, I not only had the opportunity to lean and be coached by Mr. Stolk but also to be trained and educated by: Jeff Bull, Dow Chemical Automotive Glass Adhesive Division (Essex); Dale Malcolm, Technical Director, Dow Chemical; Bruce Gates, owner and operator, Gates Glass of Ohio; Mark Daniels of BTB Tools; and later by Ken Kosel, (retired), Technical Services, of 3M Automotive Adhesive products. I have also attended the I-CAR Glass Replacement course and taken several courses in windshield replacement at NGA Conferences. So here is what you need to know.  Photo by Dave Long 2004 Caravan and 1994 Caravan; notice the newer windshield's larger size.  Photo by Dave Long The windshield is the backboard for the passenger airbag.  Photo by Dave Long Jeannie's Pontiac Sunfire, with a replacement windshield failure; the urethane bonding had failed around the windshield.  Photo by Dave Long First responders in class look at Jeannie's car; her replacement windshield had popped out on the rollover. It had been installed improperly. Your windshield does more than keep the rain and snow out. The windshield is an essential part of many airbag systems -- deflecting and pre-positioning the passenger side airbag in a crash. The windshield and the adhesive also keep the roof from crushing in on you in a rollover, and keep you inside a tumbling car in a rollover. Your factory windshield is installed properly under controlled conditions in the car factory. But, over 11.5 million windshields are replaced each year in the USA, according to NGA estimates. Experts say many are done correctly and yet many are done --incorrectly. Replacing a windshield is like doing surgery on a patient, the job must be done right. It is a complicated process that requires skill and training in the use of gloves, glass cleaners, primers, and urethane adhesives, but glass technicians don't have to be licensed or certified. Becker says, "improperly replaced windshields are not unusual," and he has found, "mistakes across the county, and many people are driving around not knowing that their life is in danger." The windshield is as important as seatbelts and airbags in automobile safety. Informally surveyed by a show of hands, approximately 20 to 25 percent of EMS, fire-rescue and police staff at airbag safety seminars indicate they have noticed the windshield failing or popping out in newer model cars. First responders should complete a NHTSA Special Crash Investigation Form when windshield failure occurs. If your factory installed windshield has been replaced, it may not have been installed properly. If the windshield is cracked, overall safety may be compromised so get the repair completed immediately. According to an ABC News 20/20 report, "Some experts say some glass installers are sloppy or haven't been trained well enough ... Are some glass technicians putting lives at risk? ... Will someone you know pay for their sloppy mistakes?" This two-part article should serve a pointed warning to you and your family. You will never look at a windshield the same again. Today more than ever, vehicles depend on the glass windshield to add to its structure and strength as a whole. The windshield is a major part of the support system and energy management in a collision. Have you ever noticed why the windshield is larger in size and more aerodynamically slanted? It's because of energy management and occupant protection in the cab of the vehicle. According to the Ford Motor Company, the windshield is 33 percent of the front strength of the energy management system. The windshield is up to 70 percent of the roof strength in a rollover in some SUV's and some other car models. The strongest part of a vehicle has become the bond of the windshield together with the top section of the dash panel. Windshield History and the Adhesive Today's glass is lighter, stronger, and cheaper than steel. Two pieces of glass are held together with a thin sheet of polyvinlybutral to be approximately 0.30 an inch thick for strength and flexibility, to reduce an injury if an occupant is thrown against the inside glass. In 1919, Henry Ford and a French scientist founded the new technology called "laminated glass." This laminated safety glass is still used today, and is processed continually to exceed vehicle manufacturer specifications. The factory material to glue the windshield into place and the most widely used adhesive in the USA is called Polyurethane, mostly "high viscosity" urethane. Urethane (black in color) provides flexibility for your windshield in normal driving, but more importantly, strength in bonding to the metal in case of a crash or rollover. It is measured in tensile strength, in pounds per square inch (PSI) of force necessary to pull apart the glue adhesive if the bond to the smooth metal and glass surface fails. More importantly is lap-shear strength, or two objects being pulled apart diagonally or sliding sideways. The force adds to the structural strength of a vehicle body. Each vehicle manufacturer has their requirements for each car and truck; a glass technician must understand the installation instructions for each adhesive and each vehicle model. In the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety System (FMVSS) vehicle requirements, here are the main categories that relate to windshield installation: (FMVSS 208) Restraint and (FMVSS 212) The Wall Crash The windshield is known as the "backboard" for the passenger side airbag. The passenger side airbag deploys off the glass and positions itself for occupant protection. Windshields are a part of the computer sensing for the deployment for the airbags, or the "crash pulse." Today's vehicle manufacture does NOT count on you wearing your seatbelt, so the windshield is used as a Restraint. Have you ever noticed a "starred -- head strike" windshield from an unbelted/belted person in the car? Thus the windshield is the Primary Restraint in a motor vehicle; seatbelts are secondary (no longer optional) and airbags are supplemental restraints. A windshield must provide strength to the front of the vehicle when crashed into a gov't 30 mph barrier -- the wall. For the New Car Assessment Program ratings, (North American Car Assessment Program, NCAP is at 35mph), see NHTSA's tests at www.safercars.gov. The urethane must bond now completely around the opening, in most vehicles 100 percent retention (NCAP) or windshield bonding around the perimeter, raised from the 75 percent gov't requirement in the previous. Thus, a windshield plays a greater role in frontal crash strength. Windshields may be overloaded in a crash or rollover, but the urethane bond should not fail around the opening (the "pinch weld") on most models 1990 and newer. Frontal crash energy is now deflected into the windshield and around the occupant safety cage. (FMVSS 216) Rollover The A-pillar must support one and a half times the weight of the vehicle, or 5,000 pounds at the top of the A-pillar when the compression standard is performed. This is NHTSA's current rollover protection standard, and thus the roof should not crush in more than five inches inside the cab. The windshield and the adhesive are known as the "roll bar" for today's vehicle. Rescuers, now understanding that the windshield and the adhesive support the vehicle's roof, should always remember to completely block-crib-support any upside down vehicle before removing any windshield in a vehicle rescue (or upright vehicle when roof strength must be maintained). Replacing a Windshield Urethane takes time to cure; most urethanes are time and temperature related and some may take hours to cure. The urethane adhesive should be fully cured before the vehicle is driven; remember the lap-shear strength idea. Most glass replacement companies may state the safe drive away time for the urethane from the adhesive manufacturer. However, the time for the vehicle to be driven is for 208/212 wall crash barrier test only, not for roof crush. Consequently, for emergency and 911 vehicles that have to be put in-service quickly to respond to emergency calls, glass technicians should use a rapid/fast cure adhesive. How to have it done Right In Part 2 next month, I'll discuss the safe installation process and some windshield case failures and saves. The Ford Motor Company Carlite school requires 16 steps for installation, so it's all about the glass technician following the installation process and being disciplined in the field. But with our "fast food" society mentality that we want it done quickly, plus insurance companies that may not want to pay for more time or a more expensive adhesive, and glass technicians who may skip steps -- like NOT wearing gloves and NOT applying primers -- how does one know where to go or how to have their windshield installed properly? Some Basic Windshield Installation Tips
Dave will visit the press week of the Detroit Car show in January 2007, learning from car manufacturers about new restraints, glass and hybrid cars. Dave was a featured speaker at the 2006 EMS EXPO and the National Glass Association conferences. Dave is a consultant by the National Glass Association to CASPA, the Coalition for Auto Glass Safety and Public Awareness. He has also spoken at the IGA, the Independent Glass Association conference and the NGA. He is committed to helping promote safe windshield installation practices and cracked windshield repair for any automobile owner. If you have any stories on windshields popping out or failing in a crash, e-mail Dave at dave.long@northmemorial.com. |
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