Exploding glass?

MODS:Not sure if this is posted in the right place, please move if needed.


I did some research and found 2 similar threads.

Look for antni1987 post in this one. and this one


Since only one post came closest to my experience, I thought I would share mine.

Here is an overview of the setup of my friend's room when the event happened.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8e1a9e9404b0.jpg[/atsimg]

The little black lines coming off the table represent approximately how far the glass pieces flew away when the glass exploded.

So here`s what happened.

My and my friend were both playing a game on his PS3. There was an empty glass mug (tempered I believe) sitting on the table.
The only other items on the table at that time was an ashtray. The glass had been empty for quite a while, had not recently fallen on the ground, neither did it go through changes from cold to warm and so on.

The room is located in the basement, and fairly well ventilated. As we were both playing without being too intense, we heard a loud crack, and a louder POOF!

That was it, the glass had shattered into a bunch of little pieces, like a car's window would.

The base of the glass remained pretty much intact, although it did have a few cracks in it.



Now why did I bother posting this? Well after reading the other threads, I could not find anything coming close to being a reason for my experience. Closest thing may be "radiowaves" or which ever signals are in use for the wireless properties of the PS3.

But aside from that, nothing was touching the glass at that moment, it had not been through temperature changes etc.
We were both freaked out by that event and had to take some time to sit back and consider what had just happened.


Anybody would like to share their opinion on what might've caused this, or want to share a similar story?

do you have a second glass to try and repeat what happen?. I have has a glass explolde on me before but that was years ago before there was an internet to look up stuff on. Forget all about it until now.

Originally posted by fixer1967
do you have a second glass to try and repeat what happen?. I have has a glass explolde on me before but that was years ago before there was an internet to look up stuff on. Forget all about it until now.

I do not. However, he had a few of these glasses, and we used them all the time, in an identical set up, and nothing ever happened.

reply to post by spaceshrimp


Interesting... I would assume temperature at first, but like you said - no big changes.. and it does take a more drastic change to shatter glass.

I did find this... but it seems to be relating to windows...

Spontaneous glass breakage is a phenomenon by which toughened glass (or tempered) may spontaneously break without any apparent reason. The most common causes are:
Minor damage during installation such as nicked or chipped edges which later develop into larger breaks
Binding of the glass in the frame causing stresses to develop as the glass expands and contracts due to thermal changes or deflects due to wind
Internal defects within the glass such as nickel sulfide inclusion.
Thermal stresses in the glass
Inadequate glass thickness to resist wind load

Here is another idea:

In recent years Fully Tempered Glass has often been the subject of discussion even if unwarranted. The catalyst has been spontaneous breakages, whereby Fully Tempered glass – apparently without any external influence – shattered into pieces. On this current subject of spontaneous breakage, the possibilities to reduce them and also other possible reasons for breakage-
The type of breakage caused by Nickel sulphide inclusions in glass is in a nearer sense the spontaneous breakage. It is generally on thermally tempered or Fully Tempered glass that is affected. The glass really breaks „spontaneously“ – that means with any outside influence.
The cause of spontaneous breakage lies in the glass itself. It can be traced back to Nickel sulphide inclusions, which are very rare, about one in a glass area of 300 m2 at 8 mm thickness. The Nickel sulphide inclusions are so small that thay cannot be detected automatically and create a very serious threat to Fully Tempered glass.
Nickel sulphide (NiS) comes in two types: at high temperatures above 379°C it is stable. Under this, also at room temperature, it slowly changes its state. The change is even slower the lower the temperature is. Such phase changes are common in nature. The unusual with Nickel sulphide however, is that the inclusion expands. It subsequently pushes against the surrounding glass with increasing force. When it is also located in the tension zone of the Fully Tempered glass, i.e. in the inner „Half“ of the glass volume, after a certain time it creates a fissure inside the glass. The glass shatters „spontaneously“ with a loud crack and falls into thousands of small pieces.

I think that is your answer

Originally posted by CeeRZ
reply to post by spaceshrimp

 

Interesting... I would assume temperature at first, but like you said - no big changes.. and it does take a more drastic change to shatter glass.

I did find this... but it seems to be relating to windows...

Spontaneous glass breakage is a phenomenon by which toughened glass (or tempered) may spontaneously break without any apparent reason. The most common causes are:
Minor damage during installation such as nicked or chipped edges which later develop into larger breaks
Binding of the glass in the frame causing stresses to develop as the glass expands and contracts due to thermal changes or deflects due to wind
Internal defects within the glass such as nickel sulfide inclusion.
Thermal stresses in the glass
Inadequate glass thickness to resist wind load

Here is another idea:

In recent years Fully Tempered Glass has often been the subject of discussion even if unwarranted. The catalyst has been spontaneous breakages, whereby Fully Tempered glass – apparently without any external influence – shattered into pieces. On this current subject of spontaneous breakage, the possibilities to reduce them and also other possible reasons for breakage-
The type of breakage caused by Nickel sulphide inclusions in glass is in a nearer sense the spontaneous breakage. It is generally on thermally tempered or Fully Tempered glass that is affected. The glass really breaks „spontaneously“ – that means with any outside influence.
The cause of spontaneous breakage lies in the glass itself. It can be traced back to Nickel sulphide inclusions, which are very rare, about one in a glass area of 300 m2 at 8 mm thickness. The Nickel sulphide inclusions are so small that thay cannot be detected automatically and create a very serious threat to Fully Tempered glass.
Nickel sulphide (NiS) comes in two types: at high temperatures above 379°C it is stable. Under this, also at room temperature, it slowly changes its state. The change is even slower the lower the temperature is. Such phase changes are common in nature. The unusual with Nickel sulphide however, is that the inclusion expands. It subsequently pushes against the surrounding glass with increasing force. When it is also located in the tension zone of the Fully Tempered glass, i.e. in the inner „Half“ of the glass volume, after a certain time it creates a fissure inside the glass. The glass shatters „spontaneously“ with a loud crack and falls into thousands of small pieces.

I think that is your answer

Wow! Awesome find!
I think the first part of your post comes from wikipedia tho because I read the same thing. But the second part seems to make a lot of sense.
I don't know how NiS would be detected, but I think I remember seeing bubbles stuck in the glass. May be some got stuck in there!

reply to post by spaceshrimp


Yeah, usually generic science mumbling explains a lot. It's just whether you can understand it

If you saw bubbles though.. I'm betting that was probably it. Or a ghost. Could be that too. Banshee most likely.

In some parts of Leinster, she is referred to as the bean chaointe (keening woman) whose wail can be so piercing that it shatters glass

Originally posted by CeeRZ
reply to post by spaceshrimp

 

Yeah, usually generic science mumbling explains a lot. It's just whether you can understand it

If you saw bubbles though.. I'm betting that was probably it. Or a ghost.

Could be that too. Banshee most likely.

In some parts of Leinster, she is referred to as the bean chaointe (keening woman) whose wail can be so piercing that it shatters glass

Yeah that could explain it too!

What was your source for the 2nd part of your explanation post?

reply to post by spaceshrimp


Oops, forgot to post that. Here she be: Link to Article

I didn't read the whole thing, so there might be an even better explanation in it.
Oh - and you were right, got the first part of Wiki

Originally posted by CeeRZ
reply to post by spaceshrimp

 

Oops, forgot to post that. Here she be: Link to Article

I didn't read the whole thing, so there might be an even better explanation in it.
Oh - and you were right, got the first part of Wiki

edit on 8-8-2011 by CeeRZ because: (no reason given)

I read most of the 2 first pages, and it explains it all into details. It's an interview with a doctor who tells the what,who,how, where etc of the testing that was done to prevent such events, other reasons that cause it and so on.It is from a security company.

Thanks again for the find, I just sent it the friend mentioned in the OP!

reply to post by spaceshrimp


Basically, some glass will do that because of internal tensions across various parts and thicknesses of the glass. When I was in high school a century ago, the GE company would come by once a year with a traveling show of their wonders. One I distinctly remember was a shock to us all.

The "scientists" would give us a neat display of the physics of glass. They would explain that one could temper such glass for two effects. (Temper may be the incorrect term.) First, they would take the becker and use it as a hammer to drive a nail into a board. Then, the guy would take a small chip of rock and drop it into the inside of the becker. The result of the chip striking the bottom of the becker was enough to shatter the glass into many shards. The explanation was that they knew how to control the stress to the desired degree they wanted and where they wanted it.

That is not to say your deal was not a psychic deal. I don't totally discount that, but there are more mundane explanations.

you were in a basement. was it cool like basements usually are.?

what kind of table? wood glass? was the ps3 under the table?

what was in the glass before it sat empty? and if i missed it in the OP how long was the glass sitting there empty?



my thoughts.
dropping ice in an empty glass will stress and even chip the glass, that is why the bottom is thicker. but what about the ice sitting in one spot on the sides of the glass. its not the only a rapid temp change that can do this uneven heating or cooling of the glass with cause it to shatter.

rare and cool to witness


just remembered if you use the glass to scoop ice out of an ice tray or bucket, especially a warm glass that will weaken the edges

reply to post by spaceshrimp


Interesting, this reminded me of telekinesis because normally that has something to do with a object breaking on it's own ( watched too much T.V) but maybe it has something to do with temperature

KWytch

I work in the Glass industry, specifically Tempering bent glass, occasionally we get glass that will just explode somtimes right after it has been tempered, and other times we get broken glass weeks after the Job was made. My opinion is that whoever made your glass, did not properly Temper the peice , which requires both perfect heating and Quenching (cooling). Our company solved our problems with the breakage. This does not suprise me at all, to here of Tempered glass breaking out of the blue. Tempered glass, is made and keeps the extreme stresses locked inside the piece, sometimes they just give way and let those stresses out. Nothing crazy here, probably just a badly tempered peice of glass, most likely made in China, where Quantity is everything and Quality is nothing, Sorry