What Are The Different Types Of Windscreen Chips?
Windscreens are important safety parts of a car that protects the occupants from wind and particles from the outside environment. Therefore, as a safety section, windscreens should always remain intact without any damage in order to fulfil this critical function to both the car and the occupants.
Nonetheless, this does not always happen. Windscreens get cracks and chips from objects which fall on them when the car is moving or even at rest. Most cases are reported from the motion of the car and the pressure differences which cause small rocks and stones to be attracted to the centre of the car when in high motion. When these small rocks are propelled by the pressure difference between the car in motion and the immediate environment small stones are attracted and may hit the windscreen causing chips. These chips come in different sizes and shapes from the degree of impact on windscreens.
Types of windscreen chips
(a) Bull’s eye – This forms when a piece of the outer windscreen is removed from the impact of a stone or any other object and form a circular shape with a cone on the windscreen.
(b) Chips – Chips are caused by making a small chunk of the outer glass of windscreen removed by the impact of an object in speed hitting the windscreen.
(c) Combination Breaks – These are a combination of chips and cracks coming out at the same time of impact from an object hitting the windscreen.
(d) Edge crack – This is an end to end small crack from one edge of the windscreen to the other in 10o and 12o. Edge cracks jeopardies the safety of car occupants from the risk that comes in breaking off of the windscreen under wind and particle pressure while in motion.
(e) Floater crack – Arises from 2 inches from the edge and on any part of the windscreen similar to edge cracks.
(f) Half-moon – It forms like a bull’s eye and does not form a perfect circle but a dome shape like that of a half-moon.
(g) Stress cracks – These are caused by the contracting and relaxation of the windscreen from changes in temperatures of the windscreen. This is prone to areas with high disparities in temperatures. Stress cracks may be very tiny and may escape the normal human eye because they do not involve chunking out of glass in the windscreen. Most time, ballpoints are run through the windscreen to ascertain whether the windscreen suffers from stress cracks.
A clear windscreen is important for good vision during driving. Chips and cracks on the windscreen are irritant to the eyes and hamper on the distance judgment of the driver more so when the chip is situated on the A-zone of the windscreen. Nonetheless, depending on the size of the chip, a maximum of 40mm is some time repairable but when not located in the A-zone. The maximum chip size in the A-zone that can be considered repairable is a 10mm.
The purpose of the car again determines if chips require replacement of the windscreen or repairable. Sports cars safety is of a prime priority and therefore chips on sports cars require replacement of the windscreen. For every repair of windscreens, Novus Auto Glass has satellite locations all over Australia and you can reach their windscreens repair services in a phone call. You can be served from remote by the mobile repairs who assess the degree of damage of your windscreen and advise you on the measures needed. You can reach them through phone calls or book an appointment at any of their repair outlets to get a schedule of your car windscreen repair.
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