AUTOMOBILE WINDSHIELDS-SURFACE DETERIORATION

THIRTEEN USED WINDSHIELDS FROM GENERAL MOTORS AUTOMBOILES WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FOR TEST. CODE MONOGRAMS ON EACH INDICATED THEY PROBABLY WERE THE ORIGINAL WINDSHIELDS. PHOTOGRAPHS WERE MADE THROUGH EACH WINDSHIELD OF THE SCATTERED LIGHT SURROUNDING AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS. DAMAGE FROM WINDSHIELD WIPER ACTION SEEMED TO BE RELATED TO MILES OF TRAVEL. DAMAGE FROM HAND CLEANING AND ICE SCRAPING OPERATIONS WAS UNRELATED TO AGE IN THIS SMALL SAMPLE. PITTING FROM SMALL HIGH VELOCITY PARTICLES ALSO SHOWED UP. ON A SUBJECTIVE RATING SCALE, 8 OF THE 13 WINDSHIELDS WERE JUDGED TO BE DAMAGED ENOUGH TO CAUSE A NOTICEABLE INCREASE IN GLARE, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT, AND TO WARRANT CONSIDERATION OF REPLACEMENT WITH A NEW WINDSHIELD. FOUR WERE JUDGED TO BE UNSAFE FOR NIGHT DRIVING. /HSL/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 46, No 8, PP 594-598, 6 FIG, 1 TAB
• Authors:
  • Allen, M J
• Publication Date: 1969-8

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Am J Optom & Archives Am Acad Optom

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Glare; Headlamps; Ice; Night visibility; Photographs; Pitting; Roadbuilding machinery; Windshield wipers; Windshields
• Old TRIS Terms: Scraping; Wipers
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223112
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 7 1970 12:00AM