AGP R&D Division was created in year 2000 due to the necessity of developing innovative products and technologies able to compete on an expanding business, not only focused on security glazing but also in different product lines, always involving transformation of glass. The products which have been developed thenceforth show a tendency towards two patent concepts: safety and comfort for both customers and end users.

After more than 100 developments, R&D has gathered enough knowledge and experience on ballistic science, optics and materials to be considered the holder of the know-how of AGP Group. Nowadays, R&D team is composed of 12 members among engineers and technical assistants and counts with complete laboratory facilities which allow the team to achieve quick response time along with high quality standards.

AGP R&D Division will keep leading the permanent development of products and processes contributing to push the envelope in terms of technology and innovation, focused on customer's satisfaction.

TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS: R&D ABSTRACTS

SOLAR CONTROL IN BULLET RESTSTANT GLAZING

AGP Solar Plus is a special hi-tech film which contains nano-particles that, by absorption, reduce transmission of intermediate IR waves, between 1500 and 2000 nanometers of the solar spectrum,  which range is perceived as heat.
Solar heat attenuation has been measured in a range between 10° C and 12° C. i.e. the interior of a vehicle will remain 10° C - 12° C cooler if glazing includes Solar Plus in comparison to a vehicle which windows do not include the film. The graph attached shows the temperature measured in the inner volume of a vehicle vs time when windows: do not include any solar control film, 3 commercial films and AGP Solar Plus.

Due to the reduction of the inner temperature of a vehicle, use of air conditioning system is lowered resulting on a 16% of reduction of fuel cosumption per year.

Visible light transmission of the film is higher than 85% and it does not present wave blocking, allowing sensors, cameras, radios and other devices to appropriately work inside the vehicle.

LIGHT TRANSMITTANCE IN SODA LIME AND LOW IRON SODA LIME GLASS

Soda lime glass is typically composed of silicon, sodium, calcium, magnesium, aluminium, potassium and iron oxides, being SiO  the mayor component (more than 70%). Amount of iron oxide (Fe O ) can vary from 0.1% to 0.5% and is responsible of the greenish ting that can be observed at the edge of the material. In order to obtain a higher light transmission, low iron soda lime glass can be used for production of bullet-resistant glazing. In the graph it can be observed that a 58mm bullet-resistant part produced with low iron glass has a visible and IR transmission around 20% higher in comparison to a part produced with regular soda-lime glass. Low iron soda lime glass provides colorlessness and clarity desired for special applications as improved operation of sensors that work with signals transmission through the windows of a vehicle, such as rain sensors, light sensors, nigh vision googles or cameras, among others.

PERMEABILITY PERFORMANCE ON MULTILAMINATED GLAZING CONSTRUCTIONS

 

Water usually penetrates the bullet-resistant glass 8 BRG) edge reaching the interface between glass and the laminated polymers. Those polymers absorb the molecules of water onto their matrix creating a braking effect between the adhesion bonds of the polymers and glass. When the adhesion bonds break down, the layers start to delaminate compromising the integrity of the entire structure.High environmental temperature and humidity accelerate the effect.In order to try to diminish those problems, the BRG is typically protected along its edge with a film of polyurethane (TPU).

However TPU presents water vapor permeability and additionally it is chemically attacked by aromatic compounds that are typical components of adhesives that fix the BRG to the car body, breaking its structure an increasing the delamination risk. In order to exceed the protection supplied by TPU, AGP developed a laminated material called Edge Plus which presents a very low water vapor permeability and it is stable to the contact of several chemicals providing a longer life span of the BRG.

 

DEICING SYSTEM FOR BULLET RESISTANT GLAZING

By means of a sputtered-coated polymer, or a pyrolitic coated glass, the outer surface of a bullet-resistant glass is heated up to provide visibility and safety to the occupants of the vehicle. The system can be designed to reach the desired power density depending on the application. Temperature profile of the outer surface of a 56mm thick bullet-resistant glass is shown in the graph. A similar behavior can be observed in thicknesses up to 90mm. Power density is directly related to temperature increase rate and final temperature of the system. The higher the power density, the steeper the slope of the temperature profile and the higher the final temperature of the system.

 

LIGHT TRANSMITTANCE IN HEATING SYSTEMS

Sensors such as night vision cameras and googles, rain and light sensors and the like all operate by transmitting signals or waves through the windows of the vehicle. Metal coated materials which are used for de-icing or heating systems in bullet-resistant glazing usually block those signals since metal acts as a shielding material. Specially for military applications, de-icing material must be chosen considering minimum IR blocking to guarantee a regular operation of the internal sensors of the vehicle. AGP uses different metallic materials for de-icing systems but for military applications it is used a special material that combined with low iron soda-lime glass offers a high energy transmission in visible and IR regions to a bullet-resistant part.

 

AGP – PROTECCIÓN A TEMPERATURAS EXTREMAS

Las propiedades mecánicas de los materiales que componen un vidrio blindado se ven afectados negativamente por el incremento o disminución de la temperatura de exposición – principalmente debido a las condiciones climáticas – resultando en una reducción radical del desempeño balístico del vidrio. Un avance tecnológico en polímeros transparentes, vidrio y procesos de manufactura de piezas blindadas hace posible el desarrollo, a escala industrial, de composiciones que ofrecen una protección balística completa a temperaturas de exposición extremas.

El test V50 aplicado a varias composiciones blindadas con y sin protección a temperaturas extremas mostró que el desempeño balístico se mantiene en un rango considerable de temperatura. Muestras blindadas que incluían protección a baja temperatura fueron impactadas a -36° C. Los datos mostraron un incremento del 3% en el V50 en comparación con el V50 de un vidrio regular impactado a temperatura ambiente a una velocidad de 985 m/s. Un comportamiento similar se observó en muestras de vidrios blindados que incluían protección a alta temperatura, en donde el V50 fue similar al V50 de una composición regular. La combinación de ambos sistemas en una prueba de balística en el vídrio (protección a altas y bajas temperaturas) mostró un incremento en el V50 en un rango considerable de temperatura con un incremento leve en el peso por área.

Por otro lado, el proceso de templado químico en una muestra de vidrio blindado incrementa en un 21% su límite balístico a temperatura ambiente. De modo similar, el uso de templado químico en composiciones que incluye protección a altas y bajas temperaturas mostró un incremento del 10% en su desempeño balístico. Los resultados anteriores fueron obtenidos sin variar el peso por área de las muestras balísticas fabricadas.

 

 

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