Willie Mae Truesdale had no idea that an explosion was about to rock her kitchen. While going about her day, she suddenly heard a loud, alarming crash from her oven. The source? The glass door of her oven had shattered into tiny pieces, sending glass all over the floor. Shocked and confused, Truesdale explained, “It was like, what in the world? Glass shattered, glass was out here on the floor.”
What made the incident even more perplexing was that her oven wasn’t even on at the time. Strangely, Truesdale is not alone in experiencing this frightening phenomenon. Many homeowners have reported similar incidents where their oven doors have inexplicably exploded. In this article, we’ll dive into the possible reasons why oven doors shatter, the science behind tempered glass, and steps you can take to prevent this from happening in your own home.
Why Do Oven Doors Shatter?
The idea of a glass oven door shattering can be unsettling, especially when the oven isn’t even in use. To understand why this happens, it’s important to look at the material used in oven doors and how it reacts under certain conditions.
1. Tempered Glass: The Key Component
Most oven doors are made of tempered glass, which is specially designed to withstand high temperatures. Tempered glass is stronger than regular glass due to the way it’s manufactured. It undergoes a process of extreme heating and rapid cooling, which makes it more resistant to heat, scratches, and impact.
However, while tempered glass is strong, it’s not indestructible. It’s designed to shatter into small, rounded pieces when it breaks, which is actually a safety feature. This prevents sharp, dangerous shards from flying around if the glass were to break. Despite its durability, certain conditions can cause tempered glass to break, and that’s where things can go wrong.
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