page_title: Safety glass
section_title: Wire mesh glass
hierarchical_section_title: Safety glass / Wire mesh glass
caption_attribution_description: English: Wire-mesh-reinforced glass in Lloyd's Building, London.
context_page_description: Safety glass is glass with additional safety features that make it less likely to break, or less likely to pose a threat when broken. Common designs include toughened glass, laminated glass, wire mesh glass and engraved glass. Wire mesh glass was invented by Frank Shuman. Laminated glass was invented in 1903 by the French chemist Édouard Bénédictus.
  These four approaches can easily be combined, allowing for the creation of glass that is at the same time toughened, laminated, and contains a wire mesh. However, combination of a wire mesh with other techniques is unusual, as it typically betrays their individual qualities.
context_section_description: Wire mesh glass (also known as Georgian Wired Glass) has a grid or mesh of thin metal wire embedded within the glass. 
  Wired glass is used in the US for its fire-resistant abilities, and is well-rated to withstand both heat and hose streams.  This is why wired glass exclusively is used on service elevators to prevent fire ingress to the shaft, and also why it is commonly found in institutional settings which are often well-protected and partitioned against fire.  The wire prevents the glass from falling out of the frame even if it cracks under thermal stress, and is far more heat-resistant than a laminating material.
  Wired glass, as it is typically described, does not perform the function most individuals associate with it. The presence of the wire mesh appears to be a strengthening component, as it is metallic, and conjures up the idea of rebar in reinforced concrete or other such examples. Despite this belief, wired glass is actually weaker than unwired glass due to the incursions of the wire into the  structure of the glass. Wired glass often may cause heightened injury in comparison to unwired glass, as the wire amplifies the irregularity of any fractures. This has led to a decline in its use institutionally, particularly in schools.
  In recent years, new materials have become available that offer both fire-ratings and safety ratings so the continued use of wired glass is being debated worldwide. The US International Building Code effectively banned wired glass in 2006.
  Canada's building codes still permit the use of wired glass but the codes are being reviewed and traditional wired glass is expected to be greatly restricted in its use. Australia has no similar review taking place.
caption: Wire-mesh-reinforced glass in the Lloyd's Building
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