Early cars lacked windshields, relying on goggles for protection, but the introduction of windshields made travel safer despite early versions causing injuries from shattering. Windshields are made using the 'float method' involving molten tin and undergo a lamination process for strength and transparency. Ongoing research aims to enhance windshields with features such as UV resistance and self-repair capabilities, solidifying their role as crucial safety components in vehicles.

1. How The Windshield Started

2. Most early cars did not have a windshield,
they were manufactured with an open air
design.

3. Drivers wore goggles to protect their eyes
from the elements.

4. The windshield became popular because it
was an improved way to protect yourself
and your passengers from wind and debris.

5. The first windshields were made out of
glass.

6. Instead of helping people, the shattering
glass on impact would actually cause more
injuries, then the windshield was meant to
protect.

7. That is why auto manufacturers switched to
using tempered glass.

8. Tempering is a special process which makes
the glass more shatter resistant.

9. How A Windshield Is Made

10. Most windshields are made using the “float
method”.

11. A special formula consisting of silica, soda
ash, dolomite, cullet, and limestone mixed
together, and then sent through a chamber
known as the float chamber.

12. The float chamber is made of a sheet of
molten tin, reaching a temperature of 1800
degrees Fahrenheit, where the glass is
passed above this section of molten tin.

13. The intense heat of the chamber causes the
glass mixture to float above the molten tin
while removing any impurities within the
glass.

14. As the glass exits the float chamber the
change in temperature causes the glass to
harden just enough to move into the next
chamber.

15. The next chamber, at around 400 degrees
Fahrenheit, is much cooler than the float
chamber.

16. This temperature allows for the annealing
process where the glass is cooled slowly to
make it stronger.

17. After exiting the last chamber the glass is
cooled to room temperature and is now
ready to be cut.

18. The section of glass is now placed into a
mold that is heated to allow the glass to take
the shape of a windshield.

19. Once the glass has taken its shape, the
lamination process begins.

20. A layer of poly-vinyl butyral is sandwiched
between two sheets of tempered glass and
heated with an autoclave.

21. The heating process turns all the layers clear
making it see-through.

22. Windshields Have Improved

23. New research is being conducted every day
to develop new ways to make glass safer and
more durable.

24. Some glass can even resist UV light, fix
scratches on its own, and has anti-fog
capability.

25. Being shatter resistant and coated to reflect
some of the sun’s rays the windshield has
now become one of the car’s most
important designs and safety features.