Can glass shatter from heat?

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asked Jul 14, 2022 in Other-Home/Garden by sunlightsw (1,130 points)
Can glass shatter from heat?

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answered Jul 14, 2022 by Wenja921 (26,320 points)
Glass can shatter from heat.

When glass gets too hot the heat causes the glass to crack and eventually shatter.

A few summers ago I remember sitting out on my front porch and my neighbors car was sitting in his driveway with the windows rolled up.

I heard something cracking and then eventually about 10 minutes later I heard glass shattering and looked over and noticed that my neighbors back window on his car had shattered.

The window was the back door window of the car.

I let him know about it and he reviewed his security cameras and was surprised that the heat did that to the window.

Now he makes sure to crack the windows or roll them down when it's hot out.

The outside temperature was 106 F and the interior of the car was likely above 300 F as the car and vehicle can heat up rapidly with windows closed.

I always roll my windows down now or park the vehicle in the shade to prevent the window from shattering.

Glass is a poor thermal conductor and rapid changes in temperature (roughly 60°F and greater) may create stress fractures in the glass that may eventually crack.

When heated, thin glass begins to crack and typically breaks at 302–392°F.

The sun's energy warms the center of the window, causing it to expands.

This puts pressure on the cooler edges to also expand.

If this pressure exceeds the breaking strength of the glass, it can fracture.

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