1. 1

2. Introduction
Intelligently designing window and glass security into a building
necessitates a complex series of compromises.
•ACE’s primary design objective is to save lives.
•ACE’s goal here as your solution provider is to provide intelligent
window and glass security design solutions.
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3. Introduction
ACE’s recommendations are
intended for security professionals/
architects tasked with
implementing anti-terrorist design
criteria, recognizing that these
requirements need to be balanced
against design constraints such as;
• sustainability
• construction and
• life-cycle costs
• architectural expression
• natural hazards protection
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4. Threat Definition
Primary Threat
A primary threat is a vehicle
weapon located along a
secured perimeter line.
The size of the vehicle
weapon considered may vary
from hundreds to thousands
of pounds of TNT equivalent
depending on the criteria
used.
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5. Threat Definition
The danger here is to be considered on all
sides of the building.
Air-blast loads decay speedily with distance;
the highest loads are focused at base of the
Building and decay with height.
Ahead of the blast wave debris is picked up
and creates hazards to the building and personnel.
Cosmetic features such as potted plants, park benches, etc,…act
as projectiles. In any typical bomb blast 85% of injuries is due
to flying debris and glass shards.
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6. Threat Definition
Secondary Threat
A secondary threat is a hand carried
weapon placed directly against the
exterior envelope.
This weapon may be
carried in a briefcase,
backpack or a bomb
placed in a garbage
receptacle.
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7. Threat Definition
Explosive pressures are
typically much greater than the
other loads such as violent
winds during severe weather
conditions.
Blast waves decay extremely
rapidly with time and space.
The pressures produced
increase linearly with the size
of the weapon, measured in
equivalent pounds of TNT, and
decrease exponentially with the
distance from the explosion.
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8. Threat Definition
The duration of the explosion
is extremely short, measured
in milliseconds.
Some explosives effects have
a longer duration and higher
peck levels.
Those types of explosions are
industrial related, i.e. natural
gas, petro-chemical plants.
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9. Threat Definition
Effects of shock wave
expansion and engulfment of
the building.
All three steps happen in lest
that a full second, and may
suffer echo blast effects.
Intelligently protecting your
windows will assist
immensely in saving lives
and securing the building.
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10. Threat Definition
Some other air-blast effects to
be aware of include:
• Pressure acting on the side of
the building facing the
explosion is amplified by factors ten times the incident
pressure. This pressure is
referred to as the reflected
pressure.
• Since it is not known which sides of the building the explosion will
act on, all sides need to be designed for the worst case.
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11. Threat Definition
• Air-blast pressures have a
negative or suction phase
following the direct or
positive pressure phase.
• The negative phase
pressures can govern
response in low pressure
regions causing windows to
fail outward.
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12. Threat Definition
• Rebound of the exterior
envelope components
following the explosion can
pull the façade components off
the building exterior.
• Rebound refers to the reversal
of structural motion due to
vibration.
• Since the design objective
is to protect occupants, failure of dual pane windows in the outward
direction may be acceptable provided that the hazards of falling debris
post-event and blocked egress points are avoided.
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13. Threat Definition
• In addition to the
propagation of a pressure
wave through the air, a
proportion of the energy of
the weapon is transmitted
through the soil. This effect
is analogous to a high
intensity, short duration
earthquake which will add
additional stress to window
frames causing glass to
break away.
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14. Threat Definition
In the past windows were the most
defenseless portion of any building.
Though it may be impractical to design
all the windows to resist a large scale
explosive attack, it is desirable to limit
the amount of hazardous glass in
reducing injuries.
Annealed glass windows break at low
pressure and impulse levels. The shards
created by broken windows are
responsible for a majority of the injuries
incurred due to a large explosive attack.
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15. Threat Definition
Designing windows with ACE security
laminates to provide protection
against the effects of explosions can
be effective in reducing the glass
laceration injuries.
For a large-scale vehicle weapon,
this pressure range is expected on
the sides of surroundings buildings
not facing the explosion, or for smaller explosions where pressures
drop more rapidly with distance.
Generally we do not know which side of the building the attack will
occur on so all sides need to be protected.
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16. Threat Definition
Window protection should be
evaluated on a case by case
basis by a qualified threat risk
professional.
Generic recommendations can
be dangerous. ACE does NOT
recommend some of these.
SAFE-Break – in - Frame.
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17. Threat Definition
In an effort to prevent or
limit glass laceration injuries,
several approaches that can
be taken, yet each remaining
system releases glass.
• Blast Curtains
• Catch bar Systems
• Wet Glazing
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18. Threat Definition
One industry process is to use a
‘wet glazing’ or sealant
approach. This is a process
where the window film installer
will seal all four side of the
window in an attempt to adhere
the window film to the window
frame.
Although this is a window film
industry practice, ACE will not
and cannot endorse or support
this recommendation as our in
house testing has proven this
method to be dangerous and
not provide or limit the potential
of injury.
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19. Threat Definition
ACE recommends that windows at
emergency exits are to be avoided to
facilitate egress. These windows are
typically market with a RED triangle as
shown here. The Emergency Responder
advisory Triangle is widely used and
measures 4 inches in diameter and placed
at the bottom right hand side of the
window that is unprotected.
Presently in North America the government design criteria
generally specify either the threat or the loading pressure and
impulse that blast mitigating windows need to be designed for.
Pressure levels given vary from about 4 psi up to about 40 psi
depending on the criteria document.
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20. Threat Definition
The danger here is that the window film industry has set a 10psi
threshold. A 10 psi threshold is unrealistic for the immediate dangers
faced by buildings.
ACE is the only product to meet the 10 psi industry standard and we
exceed that as our field test performed by MREL. Presently ACE stands
alone with 186 psi of Incident Pressure and 1100 reflected Pressure.
(MREL Test Report 1999)
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21. Threat Definition
Typically, projectile impact loads
are not considered for air-blast
testing like they are for wind
loads. ACE finds this rather
surprising as it is well
documented that shrapnel and
debris are always associated
with an explosion. While
window film companies promote
their blast resistant capabilities
only ACE addresses the shrapnel
associated with a pipe bomb, or
a car/truck bomb.
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22. Glass Design
• Glass is often the weakest part of a building, breaking at low
pressures compared to other components such as the floors, walls,
or columns.
• Past incidents have shown that glass breakage and associated
injuries may extend many thousands of feet in large external
explosions.
• High-velocity glass fragments have been shown to be a major
contributor to injuries in such incidents.
• For incidents within downtown city areas, falling glass poses a
major hazard to passers-by. At this time, exterior debris is largely
ignored by existing presentation.
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23. Glass Design
As part of the damage limiting
approach, glass failure is not
quantified in terms of whether
breakage occurs or not, but
rather by the hazard it causes to
the occupants. Two failure
modes that reduce the hazard
posed by window glass are:
• glass that breaks but is
retained by the frame
• glass fragments exit the frame
and fall within 3 to 10 feet of
the window
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24. Glass Design
The glass performance condition is defined based on empirical
data from explosive tests performed in a cubical space with a 10
foot dimension. The performance condition ranges from 1 which
corresponds to not breaking to 5 which corresponds to
hazardous flying debris at a distance of 10 feet from the
window. Generally a performance condition 3 or 4 is considered
acceptable for buildings that are not at high risk of attack. At
this level, fragments fly into the building but land harmlessly
within 10 feet of the window or impact a witness panel 10 feet
away no more than 2 feet above the floor level.
• The ACE design goal is to achieve a performance level less
than 3a for 90% of the windows.
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25. Glass Design
Performance Protection Hazard Description of Window Glazing
Condition Level Level
1 Safe None Glazing does not break. No visible damage to glazing
or frame.
2 Very High None Glazing cracks but is retained by the frame. Dusting or
very small fragments near sill or on floor acceptable.
3a High Very Low Glass cracks. Fragments enter space and land on floor
no further than 1 meter (3.3 feet) from window.
3b High Low Glazing cracks. Fragments enter space and land on
floor no further than 3 meters (10 feet) from the
window.
4 Medium Medium Glazing cracks. Fragments enter space and land on
floor and impact a vertical witness panel at a distance
of no more than 3 m (10 feet) from the window at a
height no greater than 2 feet above the floor.
5 Low High Glazing cracks and window system fails
catastrophically. Fragments enter space impacting a
vertical witness panel at a distance of no more than 3
meters (10 feet) from the window at a height greater
than 0.6 meters (2 feet) above the floor.
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26. Glass Design
The ideal solution for new
construction and or window
change outs is to use ACE
security laminated annealed
(i.e., float) glass.
For insulated units, only the inner pane needs to be laminated.
The security laminate holds the shards of glass together in explosive
events, reducing its potential to cause laceration injuries.
Annealed glass is used because it has a breaking strength that is
about one-half that of heat strengthened glass and about one-fourth
as strong as tempered glass thus reducing the loads transmitted to
the supporting frame and walls.
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27. Energy Transference
The effects of explosions on structures are directly related to
stress-wave propagation as well as impact and missile
penetration (debris).
For explosions close to the targeted object, the pressure-driven
effects occur quickly, on the order of microseconds to a few
milliseconds. The air-blast loads are commonly subdivided into:
(1)loading due to the impinging shock front, its reflections, and
the greatly increased hydrostatic pressure behind the front, all
commonly denoted as overpressure; and
(2) the dynamic pressures due to the particle velocity, or mass
transfer, of the air.
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28. Energy Transference
It is customary to characterize the pressure loadings in terms of
scaled range, as given by Z = R/W1/3
Z is the scaled range
R is the radial distance between the explosion center and the
target
W is the explosive weight (normally expressed as an equivalent
TNT weight).
In the scaled-range concept, as long as the value of Z remains the same, the same
parameters for the explosive effects (i.e., peak pressure, positive duration, etc.)
should be obtained.
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29. Energy Transference
When an explosion impinges on a
structural element, a shock wave is
transmitted internally at high speed; for
example, dilatational waves (tension or
compression) propagate at speeds of
2,700–3,400 m/s in typical concrete and
4,900–5,800 m/s in steel.
At these speeds, reflections and
refractions quickly occur within the
material (within milliseconds), and,
depending on the material properties,
high-rate straining and major
disintegration effects occur.
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30. Energy Transference
For example, under extremely high shock pressures, concrete, a
relatively brittle material, tends to undergo multiple fractures
which can lead to fragmentation. In steel, under similar
conditions, depending on the material properties and geometry,
yielding and fracture can be expected, especially if fabrication
flaws are present, with fragmentation occurring in some cases.
Primary, fragments are produced when a detonating explosive is
in contact with a material such as concrete or steel. The initial
velocity of the primary fragments depends in part on the
detonation pressure. Secondary fragments are produced by the
effect of the blast wave on materials not in contact with the
explosive.
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31. Energy Transference
Openings such as doors and windows
require special design considerations if
intrusion of the explosive shock wave is to
be averted, or damage mitigated. Where
high levels of blast-effects mitigation are
sought, labyrinth (and) entrances, possibly
with blast doors, as well as ventilation blast
valves, can be used.
As the energy of the blast wave is
transferred from wall to window, from
window to window frame, from window frame back to wall, the wall
now takes on an excessive negative pressure adding to the rapid
erosion of the wall leading to total collapse.
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32. Checker Board Approach
In situations as described above, should your building not have
blast doors as well as ventilation blast valves, ACE has
developed a systematic approach whereby the glass is protected
and the very same protected glass is used to assist in ‘venting or
exhausting’ the shock wave in a technique preventing or
minimizing negative pressures that may add to a rapid erosion
of the targeted wall.
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33. Checker Board Approach
The Checker Board system is
where ACE will fasten (anchor)
its security laminate on a
window vertically (right and left
sides) leaving the top and
bottom free to expand venting
the blast wave. The adjacent
window will have the horizontal
application whereby the top and
bottom will be fasten leaving the
right and left side open to act as
a blast vale. This method would
be done to the entire targeted
side of the building.
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34. Flexibility Is A Must!
Utilizing the expertise of materials, adhesive formulation, and
development along with manufacturing capabilities within ACE’s
Engineered Protective Systems Group and the materials and
blast analytics from the ACE Engineer Research and
Development Center (AERDC), a highly innovative product has
been brought to market.
ACE’s SL14 performs well across a wide temperature range and
diverse environmental conditions. ACE’s SL series of products
are moisture, mold and fungus-resistant, and the
environmentally friendly product contains no VOCs.
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35. Flexibility Is A Must!
An exceptionally formulated adhesive system allows the patent
pending, (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. ACE patent # PAT 2777P-2 US)
SL14 to be applied to the interior side of any glass or window
simply by removing the protective film liner and applying the
product to the glass. ACE’s SL series is further supported by a
simple yet highly sophisticated and effective anchoring system at
the top and bottom or right and left sides of the window frame.
Repel, resist, and absorb (RRA) the effects of a bomb blast
flexibility is a must. Commonly referred to as Elasticity of
material causes it to resume its original size and shape after
having been stretched by an external force. This unheard of
feature allows the ACE product to take several blasts without
deteriorating. (MREL 1999 test report)
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36. Flexibility Is A Must!
The ratio of stress to strain, called the elastic modulus, and the
elastic limit of a material are determined by the molecular structure
of the material.
The distance between molecules in a stress-free material depends on
a balance between the molecular forces of attraction and repulsion.
When an external force is applied, creating stress within the material,
the molecular distances change and the material becomes deformed.
If the molecules are tightly bound to each other, there will be little
strain even for a large amount of stress. If, however, as with the ACE
products the molecules are loosely bonded to each other, a relatively
small amount of stress will cause a large amount of elasticity. Below
the elastic limit, when the applied force is removed, the molecules
return to their balanced position, and the elastic material goes back
to its original shape.
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37. Flexibility Is A Must!
All materials have some degree of elasticity, but rubber, for
example, is 'more elastic' than metal or wood. Using this theory ACE
patent a process that allows its product to remain soft and flexible,
yet resistant as steel. That is why ACE remains unmatched when it
comes to protecting windows from bomb blast and bullets.
The danger here is that much of the window tint/film industry
attempts to compensate by making thicker films which lack
flexibility and remain ridged failing to absorb the blast effect and
unable to meet the high 186 psi that ACE has obtained. As an
industry as a whole, the community of window film manufactures
have settled on a 10 psi threshold. Yet the reality of the seriousness
of threats existing call for a true Security Laminate to respond and
provide you with a viable proven solution. That solution is ACE!
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38. Blast Injuries
Blast injuries traditionally are divided into 4 categories: primary,
secondary, tertiary, and quaternary (or miscellaneous) injuries.
• A primary blast injury is caused solely by the direct effect of blast
overpressure on tissue. Air is easily compressible, unlike water. As a
result, a primary blast injury almost always affects air-filled structures
such as the lung, ear, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
• A secondary blast injury is caused by flying objects that strike people.
• A tertiary blast injury is a feature of high-energy explosions. This type
of injury occurs when people fly through the air and strike other
objects.
• Miscellaneous or quaternary blast injuries encompass all other injuries
caused by explosions, such as burns, crush injuries, and toxic
inhalations.
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39. Conclusion
ACE has demonstrated to be your window security solution.
ACE is NOT a window tint/film company, we are a security
company focused on protecting the weakest link to building
security. ACE is your peace of mind.
ACE will assist in preventing a blast wave(s) from destroying
your building.
ACE will assist in preventing debris/ projectiles associated with a
violent blast causing injury or death.
ACE has the only UL 752 and BMAG Level 1.
ACE is familiar with large scale projects.
ACE is ready to begin work within 24 hours of a signed
agreement.
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40. Conclusion
ACE exceeds industry 10 psi providing you with 186 psi which is 18
times stronger & over 110 times stronger due to Echo effects
ACE has factory certified trained technicians on the ground
ACE offers a limited life time warranty
ACE has been in business since 1991
ACE U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Patent #PAT 2777P-2 US
ACE has a proven record with ACE laminate being used in the
theatre of war for example Iraq, Kirgizstan, Lebanon, Angola,
Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Greece,
Romania, Indonesia, China, USA, Canada, Italy, UK and we are
protecting some of India’s highest racking Politicians. ACE believes
that the TAJ is just and so much so deserving to have ACE protect
their facilities.
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41. Disclaimer
Independent third party testing using
the UL-752 Ballistics Standard has
established that ACE's SL14 security
laminate is capable of resisting bullets
from weapons firing .38 calibre, 9mm
FMJ and .357 projectiles.
However, at no time does ACE
promote or lead clients to believe that
bullet-proofing or bomb proofing can
be achieved solely with ACE products.
ACE encourages potential users to
consider having a risk threat
assessment performed by one of our
trained professionals or a competent
independent security consultant to
evaluate your security needs.
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42. PO Box 4069
Ottawa, ON K1S 2J8
tel: 613.237.0000
toll free: 1.888.607.0000
For access to any of our test reports, contact us at info@usace.com.
www.usace.com
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