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13. USING AND MAINTAINING TIPS OF COOKING APPLIANCES
WITH TEMPERED (TOUGHENED) GLASS
The tempered glass is also known as toughened glass is a type of safet y glass
processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength
compared with normal glass. The tempering process puts the outer surfaces into
compression and the interior into tension. Such stresses cause the glass, when broken,
to crumble into small granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards as plate
glass (a.k.a. annealed glass) does.
The granular chunks are less likely to cause inj
ury as the pieces are blunt and mostly
harmless.
As a result of its strength, thermal resistance, and safety are important considerati ons,
the tempered glass is widely used in several products; from car windshields, shower
doors, refrigerator trays to cook ing appliances like the induction hobs and gas hobs.
Although the tempered glass is physically and thermally stronger than normal glass it
is not unbreakable. In many cases, the main reason the tempered glass shatters is due
to tiny hairline cracks wh
ich can be invisible that form as a result of accidental damage
such as miss handling, improper usage, and lack of proper m aintenance.
These hairline cracks tend to widen over time due to expansion and contraction caused
by cycles of heating and cooling as the appliance is switched on and off during use. If
this continues over the times the tempered glass will eventually shatter into a spider-
web-like and most of the blunt granular pieces remain intact with the tempered glass.
The hairline cracks can also develop and form over the
times when hard objects such
as pots and pans are pl aced too forcefully, oversized or heavily overloaded pots are
placed onto t he hob’s tempered (toughened) glass surface, or in other c ases when a
hard and sharp object impact onto the tempered glass surfac e.
SafetyTips: Buy registered electrical and gas appliances bearing the SAFETY MARK. Induction
hobs and Gas hobs are regulated by our Enterprise Singapore under the Consumer Protection
(Safety Requirements) Regulations. These hobs are tested
to specific safety standards and in order to
be affixed with the Singapore SAFETY MARK.
Blunt Granular Pieces Sharp Cutting Shards
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