SentryGlas^® ionoplast interlayer in commuter rail systems

Stiff SentryGlas^® ionoplast interlayers make train carriage balustrades lightweight and secure

Balustrades made from SIGLAPLUS^® laminated safety glass from FLACHGLAS Wernberg help protect passengers on the newly-developed RABe 511 double-decker train carriages from the Swiss company Stadler Rail AG.

Laminated safety glass is used instead of tempered glass because the balustrade needs to maintain a safety barrier even after the glass breaks. Thin, elegantly curved laminated glass made with strong, stiff SentryGlas® interlayer helps meet that requirement while contributing to carraige weight reduction.

Martin Rädel, sales manager for transport at FLACHGLAS Wernberg adds: “Stadler Rail sought a safe solution for every eventuality, which would neither require a guardrail, nor be heavier than toughened safety glass. By using SIGLAPLUS^® with SentryGlas^® interlayers, we have been able to provide them with a solution.”

Ingo Stelzer, design specialist at Kuraray Glass Laminating Solutions explains the role of the safety interlayer: “By using high stiffness ionoplast interlayers instead of standard PVB (polyvinyl butyral), the point-fixed glass laminate is able to withstand greater loads at a given thickness. If the glass breaks, the interlayer maintains much higher strength, helping prevent passengers and luggage from falling to the lower floor of the carriage.”