When Typhoon Bolaven hit South Korea in the summer of 2012, many people used tape and newspaper to cover their windows. However, when analyzing the properties and tension of glass, it turns out that it’s the combination of the window frame and the window pane that matters.
In the summer of 2012, one of the hot topics in South Korea was Typhoon Bolaven. With wind speeds of up to 50 m/s, the typhoon threatened to engulf the entire Korean peninsula, and many people were terrified. In the days leading up to the typhoon’s arrival, various internet communities were buzzing with fear, and media and broadcasters covered in-depth tips on how to prepare for the storm. As the typhoon’s power became known, people became more alert to natural disasters, and households began to prepare by boarding up windows, stocking up on water and food, and even running out of necessities in supermarkets and stores.
People also faithfully followed the methods suggested by the media. One of the most impressive was the use of tape or wet newspapers on windows. The sight of newspapers and tape on every window of high-rise apartments was something I had never seen before. The scene looked like a defense line in preparation for war, and it was clear that people were praying for each other’s safety.
But does tape or newspaper actually prevent glass from breaking? Before the typhoon, many people bought tape, causing an unprecedented surge in the supply of tape around the country. When the typhoon arrived, people anxiously sprayed the glass with water every few hours to prevent the newspaper from drying out. If their actions turned out to be ineffective, they could be pretty devastated. Before we get to the answer, let’s talk about glass.
Glass is classified as an elastic material. It bends or stretches when subjected to an external force, and returns to its original state when the force is removed. If the force is too great and exceeds its elastic limit, it cracks and is destroyed in an instant. Pressure from the wind in a typhoon is another type of force. When pressure is applied to a window, the edges of the glass, which are held in place by the panes, remain intact, but the center of the glass is pushed inward, causing it to curve into a wide parabolic shape when viewed from the side. If the pressure becomes too great and exceeds the limits of what the parabolic shape can support, it will crack and eventually shatter.
The amount of force that glass can withstand from the outside is called its ‘glass tension’. The greater the tension of the glass, the greater the force required to change it beyond its limits. Eventually, it will be able to support a larger force from the outside. For the same glass material, the thicker the glass is, the more force it can withstand, and the smaller the glass is, the more force it can withstand. To illustrate the principle, imagine one person holding a piece of vinyl taut and another poking it with their finger. The thicker the vinyl, the smaller the size of the vinyl at the tension point, the less the vinyl will change shape.
You can increase the tension of the glass by applying tape or newspaper in an X-shape to the glass. The tape or wet newspaper plays a useful role in resisting the glass from changing shape. If we can’t change the thickness of the window to a thicker one or make it smaller to prepare for a typhoon, tape or newspaper is a good alternative to use on already installed glass. So, in theory, the media is not wrong when they emphasize the use of tape or newspaper to prevent typhoon damage to windows.
However, you might be wondering how effective they are in practice. Scientific experiments and theories can confirm their effectiveness. In addition to tape and newspaper, many people have also used plastic sheeting or special protective films. These protective devices provide additional tension and contribute to preventing the glass from breaking.
However, applying tape or newspaper to glass isn’t perfect. According to SBS’s experiments, the glass in our common windows doesn’t break well under the pressure of wind alone. This means that the tension of the glass itself is already strong enough to withstand a typhoon. In fact, most of the time when a window is broken by a typhoon, it is not the glass itself, but the window frame and the glass that are not properly joined, or the window frame is old and the window is not securely fixed. The gap between the window frame and the pane, or between the pane and the glass, causes the window to rattle and receive a physical impact, causing the glass or pane to break off and fall to the ground.
To effectively prevent window breakage in high winds, you need to make sure that the window locks are securely fastened rather than using newspaper and tape on the glass, and that the gaps between the window frame and sash are taped to prevent the window from flapping in the wind. It’s also important to check and reinforce window frames and sashes to ensure structural safety.
In addition, if a typhoon is in the forecast, you should prepare even more thoroughly than usual. In addition to windows, you should also check the condition of doors, roofs, and exterior walls, and organize your surroundings to protect against falling objects and debris. These preparations can be effective not just for typhoons, but for other natural disasters as well. At the end of the day, being prepared and prepared for natural disasters is the first step to staying safe.
