After years of overwhelming success in the
handheld touch device market, Corning teamed up with Ford to bring its
ubiquitous Gorilla Glass to the Ford GT.
This
will be the first time Gorilla Glass has been utilized in a structural
automotive setting, with most previous applications restricted to
touchscreen electronics. Gorilla Glass is renowned for its scratch and
shatter resistance, along with its remarkable strength, allowing Ford to
reduce the amount of glass material used in the GT. This cuts the
overall weight of the glass by about 30 percent, or roughly 12 pounds in
weight savings.
While the windshield on the GT differs from a
laminate one found on a regular vehicle, the formula is similar. The new
GT windshield is composed of an outer layer of conventional automotive
glass, with a special acoustic layer sandwiched in the middle, and the
bespoke Gorilla Glass on the inner portion. The same formula extends to
the glass rear engine cover, while the cabin divider, which separates
the passengers from the engine, is composed entirely of Gorilla Glass.
While
the GT’s new glass is stronger than regular automotive glass, Ford says
the new material won't affect rescue efforts carried out during
collisions. Gglare and visibility remain unchanged as well, and Ford
claims that the new material helps increase the readability of the GT's head-up display.
Ford is tight-lipped on any additional cost of the automotive Gorilla
Glass, and for now, there aren't any plans to use the material on other
Ford vehicles.
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