Thermal Stress and your Car’s Windshield
Have you ever wondered why your ice cracks when you put it in a glass of water? Or even worse, why your windshield cracks when you turn on your air conditioner? Believe it or not it is the same reason, thermal stress! Thermal Stress by definition is; stress in a body or structure due to inequalities of temperature.
To understand this a little bit better, look at it this way. When you drop a few ice cubes in your glass of water, quite often you here a pop. That is the ice cracking or sometimes actually breaking apart. This is because the water is warmer than the ice (meaning the molecules in the water are moving faster than the molecules in the ice). Heat can only move from an object of higher temps to an object of lower temperature. The molecules in the water, moving much quicker than the molecules in the ice, transfer their heat to the ice cube. This causes the ice cube to melt and sometimes crack. The larger the difference in temperature between the ice and the water the faster the ice melts and becomes a liquid. This is also why the ice cracks and sometimes breaks.
When it comes to your windshield it’s exactly the same thing. In areas of the country where there are high outside temperatures cracking windshields are not uncommon. If your vehicle has been sitting in the sun and suddenly the windshield is cooled, a crack can appear. The cooling can come from air conditioning or from water, anything that causes a rapid temperature change.
How can you avoid cracking your windshield? Keeping your vehicle in the shade can help. If you have a remote start on your car you may want to avoid putting the A/C on high when you first start your car. The slower you cool the glass the less likely it is to break. If you have an A/C that is instantly cold you may want to set it at a higher temperature so it slowly cools your glass. Never pour cold water over your hot vehicle, this will most certainly crack your windshield!
If and when thermal stress happens to occur, don’t fret, just call AGD Auto Glass & Tint Co. We replace autoglass and windshields on all makes and models of any type of vehicle. Our top quality windshield replacement is the best in the valley. Call today!
AGD Auto Glass & Tint Co.
3414 S Mill Ave | Tempe, AZ 85282 | 602-759-5900 | Website
find us on.. 
Central: 602-759-5900
East Valley: 480-289-5108
West Valley: 602-275-5066
