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Curved Bullet Resistant Automotive Glass Frequently Asked Questions |
 James Bond Movies and Television Shows have made "Bullet Proof Glass" a Household name. As well as very mysterious, it has become an Enigma so to speak. We will try and dispel the mystery and miss information about "Bullet Proof Glass". In the real world "Bullet Proof " does not exist. When speaking in terms of Protection from Hand Guns & Rifles the proper term is BULLET RESISTANT as nothing is truly Bullet Proof. If given enough time and effort any Bullet Resistant Product can be defeated. Bullet Resistant Glass is NOT AT ALL LIKE it has been portrayed. In Movies and TV, Bullet Resistant Glass is portrayed as being no thicker or different from "Normal" Glass. Bullet Resistant Glass is offten assumed to be Just "Bullet Proof" that it just stops bullets with no regards what is being shot at the glass from a small handgun to rockets. On TV the Bullets just bounce off the glass and away you go!! Photo below show the impact of a Bullet into Real Bullet Resistant Glass. (Note that the bullets are embedded into the glass)  Bullet Resistant Glass: Both Flat Sheet and Curved are manufactured in different protection levels: from level 2 stopping handguns such as .9mm & .357 Magnums at .825" thick. To our Level 8- Armor Piercing Protection from a .30-06 Rifle at 2.27" thick. As the level of protection increases so does the weight, thickness and price.  Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass is a Glass-Clad Polycarbonate multi- ply composite laminate combing Polycarbonate and Glass using special polyurethane high adhesion bonding interlayers which allow or the expansion / contraction differential of both materials. This special interlayer and the manufacturing process are key elements in controlling the 10:1 thermal expansion ratio. This design allows us significant latitude to almost any Ballistic Threat from .9mm handguns to .30-06 Armor Piercing Rounds. Combining the the obvious advantages of glass and Polycarbonate provides 3 primary benefits over ALL-Glass composites. #1= Thickness and weight savings up to 60% over conventional ALL-Glass systems. #2= Multiple impact protection ,and high ballistic protection from rifles. #3= The high structural integrity of Polycarbonate with the abrasion, chemical, flame resistance of Glass. Polycarbonate is plastic material 30 times stronger than acrylic which is 17 times stronger than an equal thickness of single strength glass. Polycarbonate ,therefore,is an excellent impact barrier and is used as the core material of our Bullet Resistant composite. Polycarbonate is susceptible to abrasion, scratching, chemical attack, heat or flame. Polycarbonate alone is not an effective ballistics barrier above handgun protection. Our solution is a combination o these materials to take advantage of their benefits while eliminating their individual shortcomings. All of our Protective Glass systems are directly interchangeable with OEM [ Original Equipment Manufacturer ] parts .Our Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass meets standards set by: [ANSI] American National Standards Institute, [SAE] the Society of Automotive Engineers [DOT] Department of Transportation, [ASTM] American Standard Testing Materials. Ballistic testing provided by: H.P.White Laboratories Inc.  Can Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass made for Any Vehicle? Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass can be Custom Manufactured for most Vehicles. However some Vehicles are not well suited for Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass: Vehicles such as Chevrolet Camaro, & Corvette, Dodge Viper, Pontiac Trans-Am, and other type Vehicles are not well suited for use as an Armored Vehicles. Also Vehicles with No Upper Door Frame and Convertible Top Vehicles are not good choices for Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass. Is Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass Thicker Than Normal Glass? Your Standard Auto Glass is 5/32" thick. Un-like James Bond Movies and Television shows. Real Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass is anywhere from .825" to 2.27" thick. Is Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass Heavier Than Normal Glass? The Standard Auto Glass in your vehicle weighs approx 3.5 lbs per sq.ft. Again, Un-like James Bond Movies and Television shows. Real Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass weight is anywhere from 8.98 lbs.per sq. ft. to 26.71 lbs. per sq. ft. .  Will My Side Door Windows Still Roll Up and Down? Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass does not work very well in the Rolled Down Position as they say...! All kidding aside, installing a set of Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass in your vehicle is a very serious consideration. Our Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass is designed to save your life from Hand Guns & Rifles . Operable Side Door Vehicle Glass is not very common in Vehicle Armoring. Standard Auto Glass is 5/32" thick. Most modern vehicle doors now have side air bags, side impact braces,etc. There is usually not much room left for Thicker Bullet Resistant Glass to fit inside the door with-out some modification to the door and trim. In most cases you can expect to get from 4"-7" of roll down. [Depending on your type of vehicle and level of protection needed.] How Does Thicker Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass fit in my Vehicle? Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Door Glass is manufactured with "Glass Offsets"! If you look at the photo [ above left ] of the open drivers door, you will notice a partly rolled down Bullet Resistant Window. You will notice that we have left approx 1" of glass that is just a little thicker than the glass in your current vehicle or "Offset". These "Offsets" are at the top and sides of the door, thus allowing our thicker glass to fit inside your vehicles door frame. With the Bullet Resistant window rolled all the way up, or permanently installed the glass rests against the rubber window trim. With the addition of a black paint band around the glass as in the above photo shows. We are able to hide this offset from showing. This also "Optically" hides the thickness of the glass from view making your vehicle look stock. Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Windshields and Backlights are manufactured in much the same way as side door glass. That thick Black Paint Border on most vehicles is there for one reason : to hide where the glass is "Glued" to your vehicle and this also hide where the inside trim meets the glass. If the windshield was removed from your vehicle you would notice that there is an "Offset" in the metal on the roof and piller posts. This "Offset" is approx. 1-2" wide and the thickness of your vehicles OEM Glass.These "Offsets" are at the top and sides of the windshield. The Backlight, or Rear window also has an "Offset" of approx. 1-2" wide and the thickness of your vehicles OEM Glass around all sides. We manufacture approx 1" of glass that is just a little thicker than the glass in your current vehicle or "Offset". These "Offsets" allow our thicker glass to fit inside your vehicles windshield and rear window frames. Again with the addition of a black paint banding around the glass we are able to hide this offset from showing. This also "Optically" hides the thickness of glass from view making your vehicle look stock. What about my rear window defroster..will it still work? We can manufacturer Curved Bullet Resistant Rear Windows using the existing glass along with with our glass and polycarbonate or we can add heat strips to the unit in our manufacturing process. Is Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass Expensive? Again James Bond Movies and Television shows have made the price just as mysterious as the Glass it self. You would be surprised at Just the replacement cost for your vehicles OEM [ Original Equipment Manufacturer ] Glass. OEM glass for your vehicle could be from around: $2,500.00 to over $6,000.00 in price for an Ford Expedition. Pricing for Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass can start from around: $7,000.00 to well over $20,000.00 [Depending on your type of vehicle and level of protection needed.] Why is Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass Expensive? Fair Question....Most individuals have never been in the market for Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass and have nothing to base a price quotation on, other than what they feel the price should be. An Informed Consumer is always in a better position to make a decision with the proper knowledge and information. The Custom Manufacturer of Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass is part ART, part SCIENCE as well as having the proper Equipment and Technical Expertise. 
Vehicle Glass Molds: The Custom Manufacturer of Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass starts with us making a set of "Molds" of your vehicles OEM glass. The "Molds" are an exact "Copy" of the glass in your vehicle this gives us all of the curvature and bends that your vehicle's glass has. These "Molds" will be later used in the "Bending Process" explained below. Layout and Cutting: The next step in Manufacturer process is to cut all of the needed door and window units from Flat Sheet Glass Stock, along with the sheets of Polycarbonate, and Polyurethane Bonding Inter-layers. The first layer of of glass is cut to the exact size of Your Vehicle' OEM Glass. The next layer is the first of several of Polyurethane Bonding Inter-layers. The next set of glass is cut to the "offsets" as described above. The final "Lay-Up" can be from 2-5 units of glass and 1-2 layers of Polycarbonate. The inside of your New Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass can be manufactured for you in two ways: Low Spall: [ Glass on the inside of the vehicle ] No-Spall : [ Polycarbonate on the inside of the vehicle ] Glass Bending: The next step in Manufacturer process is the "Bending Oven". Now is when Molds come into play. We take the Cut Flat Glass and Polycarbonate units as described above. And set them on the molds in the "Bending Oven". Bending Ovens look almost like a giant pizza ovens. The "Lay-Up" heats up slowly over 8 hours to a certain temperature and then slowly slumps the glass to the exact size and dimensions of the mold. The now bent glass must slowly cool down again over about 8 hours before it can be safely removed from the Bending Oven. At this point the glass is very fragile any quick temperature change during the cool down process will cause the unit to break or crack and it's then back to starting all over again.  Clean Room Assembly: Once the "Lay-Up" has cooled down properly and removed from the bending oven all the individual units are then completely cleaned. We now take the bent & cleaned "Lay-Up" to our "Clean Room " for final assembly. Now all the bent glass and the layers of polyurethane bonding inter-layers and assembled in the proper configuration. We now thoroughly inspect the final assembly for proper size, and for defects in the manufacturing process. Our General Manager, Shop Foreman, and Production Manager must all check off on the final assembly before it is sent to the Autoclave for final Bonding of the unit. Vacuum Bag Assembly: After passing our very stringent inspection the full "Lay-Up" is then inserted into a Vacuum Bag and Sealed . We then pull a vacuum on the bag [removing all of the air] Auto claving: The final step in Manufacturer is loading the Vacuum Bagged Assembly in to one of our two large Autoclaves [These are just a slightly larger version of what your local Dentist uses to sterilize their instruments.] The heat and pressure of the autoclave bonds all of layers of polyurethane, Bent Glass, and Bonding Inter-layers together. The autoclave cycle takes 12 hours to bond the Vacuum Bagged Assembly in to the finished product. It also takes about 8 hours for the proper "Cool down Time". Final Inspection & Boxing: After the now finished Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass has been removed fro the autoclave it is now re checked against the molds and OEM glass to make sure of a proper fit and look of Your New Glass. Again our General Manager, Shop Foreman, and Production Manager must all check off on the final assembly before it is boxed for shipment to you. Tested By: H.P. White Laboratories Inc. Information and Pricing Request Return to Curved Bullet Resistant Glass Page Our Bullet Resistant Glass At Work: (With our Customers Knowledge and Permission) When the Military Installation at Fort Knox, Kentucky needed Special Bullet Resistant Glass: Bulldog Direct was the only source that could meet their Special Requirements. In 2002 and now into 2003 Bulldog Direct also provided other U.S. Military Installations in the USA and Over Seas with our Bullet Resistant Glass Protection. Both the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Hostage Rescue Team and the Cobb County Georgia SWAT Team use our Flat Sheet Bullet Resistant Glass in their Armored Response Vehicles. A few years back, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Armored Response Vehicle came under Heavy Rifle Fire from a barricaded suspect. using a .30-06. The Armored Response Vehicle took two direct hits to each front window. [ With no penetration into the Vehicle. ] The Georgia Bureau of Investigation now keeps a few extra sets of our Bullet Resistant Glass on hand..... Just in case!! One of our Customers has a fleet of 27 fully Armored Tractor-Trailers. These Armored Trucks are on the road 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They use both our Flat Sheet and Curved Bullet Resistant Vehicle Glass in their Vehicles. When Governor Mike Foster of the State of Louisiana (USA) asked on a radio talk show for suggestions on how to help New Yorkers in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001, one caller suggested that the State should fund the construction of a custom-designed fire truck to help replenish the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) fleet. The job of building a 'pumper' fire truck to FDNY's specifications went to local firm Ferrara Fire Apparatus Inc. of Holden, Louisiana, a custom manufacturer of fire apparatus. Ferrara Fire Apparatus Inc. contacted us at Bulldog Direct Protective Systems Inc. for help with their glass needs to protect the dedicated Fire Fighters from projectiles or flying debris that could hit the pumper's cab area. Please see related story in: DuPont's Laminated Glass News. |
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