A panel discussion at the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance’s (FGIA) 2024 Fall Conference covered several different uses and trends of safety-focused fenestration and glazing products, ranging from ballistic glass, school security, and blast resistance. Information was presented by panelists Lothar Erkens, Matt Manning, Vaughn Schauss, and Mike Troutman, cochair of FGIA’s fenestration safety committee, who moderated the panel discussion.
In “Ballistics with Matt Manning,” Manning started by defining ballistic glass as laminated glass that has been designed and tested to withstand attack from a specific weapon, ammunition type, and number of shots. Bullet-resistant glass is found in many places like banks and prisons. He noted that there are bullet-resistant standards, including ASTM F3279 for bullet-resistant only and ASTM F1233 for bullet-resistant and forced entry. Tests involve different types of shots including a single shot and a pyramid formation.
Installing ballistic glass in a standard, untested frame creates a weak point, increases the potential for life safety issues, and increases liability, Manning says. Any ballistic glass needs to be installed in a frame that has been tested to the same level of ballistic resistance, but it’s important to not stop there, he says.
In “School Security with Vaughn Schauss,” Schauss says, “School shootings all seem to have one thing in common: the windows and doors were a vulnerability.”
Laminated glass in windows and doors can provide safety and security, says Schauss. He noted a standard to address what glass may be needed for school security has been developed: ASTM F3561, Standard Test Method for Forced-Entry-Resistance of Fenestration Systems After Simulated Active Shooter Attack. The test simulates an active shooter forced entry situation where the glass is pre-weakened with shots from a 5.56 mm round followed by progressive impacts from a cylindrical impactor. The glass is shot 10 times with an AR-15 in a specific pattern. The glass passes if a 152 mm (6 in.) diameter ball cannot pass through without touching the glass.
In “Blast Resistance with Lothar Erkens,” Erkens says there are several standards for blast-resistant fenestration including from the U.S. Department of Defense, Veterans Administration and General Services Administration.
“Blast resistance is a very complex topic,” Erkens says. “Blast resistance boils down to standoff distances and the range of positive pressure in the air following a blast.”
Erkens says there are three different distances for many buildings: standoff distance from walls with glazed openings to a controlled perimeter, standoff distance from walls with glazed openings to the nearest street or roadway curb, and standoff distance from walls with glazed openings to the nearest legal parking.
Consider testing and calculation options, Erkens says. “You can test to a high level and calculate to a low level, but you cannot calculate up; it doesn’t work that way.”