Glass attains resiliency, strength by chemical means

To the average person, glass has three primary characteristics: it is inert (in other words, it does not corrode or rust deteriorate); it is transparent; and it is fragile. The fragility of glass, over the years, has challenged scientists, who have always known that it has tremendous inherent strength. Up to now, physical tempering has been used successfully to strengthen products such as water glass tumblers, windows for automobiles, and plate glass doors, but tempering is limited to thick glass and simple shapes. Now, a basic new method is being developed experimentally: Scientists have announced a way to make glass products five times stronger than ever before.