VENICE, Fla., Aug. 7, 2006 – The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Tampa is featuring PGT® WinGuard® Impact-Resistant Windows and Doors in an interactive exhibit aimed at educating the public on disaster awareness and preparedness.
“Disasterville” opened Aug. 5. In the dramatic and engaging exhibit, guests walk through interactive towns, experience the impact of a variety of simulated natural disasters, and walk away empowered and prepared to take action and minimize the effects of natural phenomena from floods to hurricanes to wildfires.
WinGuard is featured in the exhibit educating homeowners how to protect their home and property from hurricanes. Visitors receive educational literature, see product samples, and view footage of WinGuard product testing. In the footage, a approximately 9 pound 2’ x 4’ piece of lumber is fired out of a canon at 50 feet per second at a window with regular glass, then a window with tempered glass, and then a WinGuard window with impact-resistant laminated glass and a heavy-duty frame. The 2’ x 4’ easily breaks through the windows with regular and tempered glass, but does not penetrate the WinGuard window.
For more information about the exhibit, visit www.mosi.org or call 813-987-6100.
WinGuard Background:
Hurricane Andrew taught scientists that wind alone is not the cause of damage to homes. The real cause is flying objects. When flying objects pierce windows and doors, hurricane force winds enter the home. The internal pressure causes the roof to blow off, resulting in massive structural and water damage. PGT WinGuard was the first complete line of aluminum impact-resistant windows and doors to be approved by Miami-Dade Building Product Control – which enforces the strictest codes in the United States for wind-borne debris and wind loading. PGT also helped develop these very strict testing protocols.
WinGuard windows and doors combine heavy-duty aluminum or vinyl frames with impact-resistant laminated glass. A special silicone glazing process helps keep the glass from breaking away from the frame. Laminated glass is constructed by bonding a tough polyvinylbutyral (PVB) interlayer between two pieces of glass under heat and pressure. Once sealed, the glass "sandwich" behaves as a single unit and is transparent, like ordinary glass.
The laminated glass is similar to the glass found in automobile windshields, but nine times stronger. Upon impact from wind-borne debris or wind, laminated glass adheres to the interlayer, keeping the glass intact within the frame. The opening is not penetrated because of the strength and energy-absorbing capability of the interlayer.
PGT pioneered the U.S. impact-resistant window and door industry and today is the nation’s leading manufacturer and supplier of residential impact-resistant windows and doors. PGT is also one of the largest window and door manufacturers in the United States. In its 25th year, the company employs approximately 2,400 at its 485,000-square-foot manufacturing and glass laminating and tempering plants, and delivery fleet facilities in Venice, Fla., and its 225,000-square-foot production facility in Lexington, N.C. Sold through a network of over 1,300 independent distributors, the company’s total line of custom windows and doors is now available throughout the eastern United States, the Gulf Coast and in a growing international market, which includes the Caribbean, South America and Australia. PGT’s product line includes PGT® Aluminum and Vinyl Windows and Doors; WinGuard® Impact-Resistant Windows and Doors; Multi-Story Series 800 Windows and Doors; and Eze-Breeze® Sliding Panels.
