4079369
Art and inspiration: Edouard Benedictus and the invention of laminated safety glass
Date
August 18, 2024
The invention of laminated safety glass is attributed to the French chemist and artist Edouard Benedictus (1878-1930), who developed the innovation after inspiration stuck in the form of a fortuitous laboratory accident. As a result, he went on to develop what became known as Triplex safety glass. Licensed first to the English Triplex Safety Glass Company in 1912, with later US production carried out by Libbey-Owens-Ford and Du Pont, Triplex glass was first applied to automobile applications in 1929 by the Ford Motor Co, after which British applications followed in 1932. While the story of his fateful lab accident can be found in a wide variety of sources, the details often change with each telling, becoming more legend than historical event. A summary of our current knowledge of Benedictus will be presented, along with a historical analysis of the lab incident as communicated by Benedictus himself. The development of Triplex glass and how it related to other similar efforts of the time will also be discussed.
Presenter
North Dakota State University
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Workshop on Traditional Research Methods in History (Invited):
Division/Committee: [HIST] Division of the History of Chemistry
Workshop on Traditional Research Methods in History:
DIVISION/COMMITTEE: [HIST] Division of the History of Chemistry
