Influence of Surface Scratches on the Flexure Strength of Soda-Lime Silicate and Borosilicate Glass

Borosilicate (BS) and soda-lime silicate (SLS) glasses are being considered for use as the strike-face in transparent armor systems. This effort examined the effect of surface scratches generated with 1, 5, 10, and 30 N scratching loads on the equibiaxial flexure strength of both glasses including versions of each that had been thermally-tempered. At lower scratch loads there is more lateral cracking associated with the scratches in the BS while the scratches in the SLS predominantly exhibit plastic deformation. At the highest scratch load the damage is dominated by chips and lateral cracking within and along the scratch length. The tempered versions of the SLS appear to have less lateral cracking than the tempered version of the BS glass. In all instances the flexure strength decreases significantly when a 1 N scratch is introduced on the tin surface but when the scratch load increases any additional strength loss is minimal.