glass,neat,corning,Prince Rupert,asplode Curious property of Prince Rupert's Drop glass

Curious property of Prince Rupert's Drop glass

posted by philkar77 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago • 3529 views

tags: glass, neat, corning, Prince Rupert, asplode

If you drop molten glass into a bucket of water, it will solidify into what's called a "Prince Rupert's Drop." According to this Corning video, the surface of the drop is in a state of great compression, while the interior is in a state of great tension. You can squeeze the bulbous part of the drop with pliers or bang on it with a hammer to no avail. However, if you snap off the hair-thin tail at the end of the drop, it'll shatter into dust. ((Via forgetomori)via BoingBoing)

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Comments

cool, similar to how tempered glass works in most car windshields, most small cracks will be closed back up by the surface (in compression) but if a large enough crack forms (someone breaks the glass) it shatters into thousands of pieces.

written by krumzy | 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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another video here where we can see the "drop" when it shatters :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdy2_vi0FfM

written by 9006 | 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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An excellent demonstration of the fluid like properties of glass. I didn't know about this.

written by zor | 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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I want ultra super slowmotion video of that happening, NOW!

written by cybrbeast

| 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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That was actually super intresting.

written by Napalm | 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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"Can't be broken" - Them's fighting words.

written by AeroMechanical | 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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^ yeah... more like can't be broken when gently tapped on. i don't know about anyone else, but when i use a hammer, i hold the base of the handle and swing it more than 10 degrees.

written by E_Nygma

| 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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That was fascinating, I didn't know such things at all.

written by spoco2

| 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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bison_ravi's link has some slow motion at the end.

Very interesting. Thanks.

>> ^cybrbeast:
I want ultra super slowmotion video of that happening, NOW!

written by curiousity

| 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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@krumzy - just wanted to mention that most windows in cars do use tempered class although the windshield does not. Windshields use laminated safety glass so that there is no shattering. A windshield is constructed by bonding exterior layers of annealed glass to a middle layer of plastic.

BTW - this is a demonstration that they perform every hour or so at the Corning Museum of Glass... a fascinating place to visit.

written by TerraKhan | 1 year 8 months 2 weeks ago | CH

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I've seen these things hit about as hard as can be managed with a hammer. I'd be quite surprised to see anyone break one without resorting to far more drastic measures.

>> ^E_Nygma:
^ yeah... more like can't be broken when gently tapped on. i don't know about anyone else, but when i use a hammer, i hold the base of the handle and swing it more than 10 degrees.

written by xxovercastxx