How strong is toughened glass?

[jon]

Having got some smaller/more domestically acceptable speakers, my finger slipped and I ended up with a Yamaha DSP A2 that does a very nice job of driving them... It's huge, though, and about 20kg. I've got a cheap-ish AV rack - which took a widescreen CRT fine and is currently holding a big LCD on the top shelf. What do people reckon to the Yamaha on the bottom shelf, though - any way to make an educated guess if an extra 20kg lead to a cracking sound?

 

[Jazid]

Take anything valuable off it,

Stick a few equally heavy lumps on it and see what happens.

If you are scared put a ply board on the glass shelf to aid mass xistribution.

Sent from my GT-I5800 using Tapatalk

 

[MJ.]

Jon, I've had 25Kg+ amps on both 10 and 6 mm glass (and I am sure others here have had FAR more) with no problem whatsoever so I would imagine that you would be fine.

 

[bandit pilot]

Pretty sure I remember reading the 6mm is rated to about 30kg. I've had well over 50kg on 10mm with no problems. My current shelves are 20+mm, and I don't think they will break unless you park a car on them or something.

 

[i_should_coco]

I had a 65kg record player on a 10mm thick glass shelf and it was fine.

 

[jon]

Thanks all - will give it a go, then

 

[mj446]

I had a 65kg record player on a 10mm thick glass shelf and it was fine.

How heavy!!!!!!, that's a record player and a half.

 

[meninblack]

I had to break open a sealed unit made with 10 mm toughened glass for work. Jump on it - nothing. Ball peen hammer - nothing. Sledge hammer - no good. To break the glass I had to use a centre punch, and hit the centre punch with the sledge hammer. Hard.

 

[pmac]

My (former) 46kg TT Synergy amp sat on a 6mm (max) Atacama Equinox glass shelf. No problems there, apart from lifting the bugger on there.

 

[MF 1000]

10mm toughened glass will support around 38Kg per metre span, narrower spans will increase the load that can be supported. That of course is just suppored on the ends ...if it is supported on all fours sides you would have even more load capacity

 

[JVS]

Toughening is a heat treatment process. It makes the glass shatter into tiny chunks if broken.

Laminated glass stays in one piece if you break it - the plastic interlayer holds it all together.

float/window glass breaks into shards - like normal glass.

 

[white noise]

I have my gyrodek on 6mm,and i think it's 10kg. My uncle who supplied the glass is a stained glass artist of 40 years and told me the pilkington glass would take my 14 stone . Its more about point of contact. Like an elephant wearing stilettos i think he explained it :nup:

 

[Who Cares?]

Target 6 shelf here, I rang them to ask the load limit, the glass is 6mm thick and 465mm x 355mm, they said 25kgs.

 

[MF 1000]

Toughening is a heat treatment process. It makes the glass shatter into tiny chunks if broken.Laminated glass stays in one piece if you break it - the plastic interlayer holds it all together.

float/window glass breaks into shards - like normal glass.

Toughening does increase the strength of glass, the small fragements depend on the toughening patten used....its created by heating the glass above its annealing point then cooiling the surface very quickly with jets of compressed air - the closer the jets are together the smaller the fragenents when it 'explodes'. The jets of air induce very high compressive stresses in the surface, that have to be overcome by the applied bending force before any crack can propogate....but once overcome the stress is released very quickly giving the characteritic 'bang' when toughened glass breaks.

Laminated glass acts in a different way...the pvb intelayer acts as a 'glue' holding the two sheets together, thus increasing its strengh. Bullet proof glass etc is made this way with muliple layers....as many as 5 layers in a 25mm thick sheet.

How do I know this ....well I worked in R&D for a major glass manufacturer for 12 yrs

 

[pmac]

Target 6 shelf here, I rang them to ask the load limit, the glass is 6mm thick and 465mm x 355mm, they said 25kgs.

Same here with the Atacama, but I still put 46kg on it. :^

There are safety factors built in to any SWL, I chose to exploit them :dunno:

 

[Who Cares?]

Same here with the Atacama, but I still put 46kg on it. :^ There are safety factors built in to any SWL, I chose to exploit them :dunno:

In the "safety" of your own abode of course.

Oh, safety factors, big can of worms and depends upon your particular occupation. ;-)

 

[muff]

Have a 51lbs chunk of NAD M3 amp on a 6mm shelf for six years no problem

 

[pmac]

In the "safety" of your own abode of course.Oh, safety factors, big can of worms and depends upon your particular occupation. ;-)

I run an engineering company, but would never pretend to take the same "laissez-faire" attitude, professionally. I am merely offering my "personal experience" to the OP ;-)

 

[Who Cares?]

I run an engineering company, but would never pretend to take the same "laissez-faire" attitude, professionally. I am merely offering my "personal experience" to the OP ;-)

You're right, forums are only, or should be, "personal experience".

The reader is free to explore further based upon others' views but not take those views as gospel.