Shattered: Forensic Glass

Analysis

What is Glass?

An inorganic product of fusion which has

cooled to a rigid condition without
crystallizing
Uniform amorphous solid
No specific m.p.
Softens over a temperature
range

'Ordinary' sheet glass

-made by passing the molten glass through rollers; process gives an
almost flat finish but with distortions.
-glass is used in glazing greenhouses and garden sheds where the visual
distortions do not matter.

Float glass (plate)

Float glass gets its name from the method of production used to
manufacture it.
-molten glass is 'floated' onto a bed of molten tin
-produces a glass which is flat and distortion free
-process imparts a fluorescence to the glass [UV light]

Rolled Glass

Float Glass

Float Glass Process

Toughened (Safety glass)

-glass is produced by applying a special treatment to ordinary float
glass after it has been cut to size and finished.
-treatment involves heating the glass so that it begins to soften (about
620 C) and then rapidly cooling it.
-produces a glass which, if broken, breaks into small pieces without
sharp edges.
Laminated glass
-glass is made up of a sandwich of two or more sheets of glass (or
plastic), bonded together by a flexible, normally transparent
material.
-if cracked or broken, the flexible material is designed to hold the
glass fragments in place.

Whats in Glass?

Network Components-Formers:
SiO2, B2O3, P2O5, GeO2, V2O5, As2O3, Sb2O5
FluxesSofteners [lowers melting point]:
Na2O, K2O, LiO, Al2O3, B2O3, Cs2O
StabilizersChemical/Corrosion
Resistance:
CaO, MgO, Al2O3, PbO, SrO, BaO, ZnO, ZrO

Major Types and Uses

Soda lime silicate glass

SiO2 + Na2O / K2O + CaO / Al2O3 / MgO

Flat glass, container glass, electric light

bulbs

Borosilicate glass
> 5% B2O3 (replaces Na2O)
Lab glassware, thermometers, cookware,
sealed-beam headlights

Aluminosilicate glass

Higher percentage of aluminum

higher temperatures than borosilicate
Aluminoborosilicate 50:50 Al/B
Labware, cookware, and glass fibers

Lead alkali silicate (leaded glass)

Up to 80% PbO
high refractive index
Crystal tableware,

Different glasses-domestic windows, car headlamps,

light bulb glass-are produced differently from different
chemistries.

Forensic Individualization of Glass

Flat GlassSoda lime silicate

-Rolling or Floating

Tempered: Rapid Cooling

Adds Strength
Dices when broken
Automotive windows & security windows
Float Glass floresces when excited at 254 nm.

Coated: Surface modification

Laminated: Sandwiched around plastic

Automotive windshields

Headlights: often borosilicate

Light bulbs: soda lime glass
Heat absorbing/ UV filtering

Mirrors

tinting

Eyeglasses: prescription
lenses/photosensitive

Container Glass

Lower magnesium, higher sodium

Clear vs. greenish (window)

Glass Fibers

Fiberglass insulation
Alumino-borosilicate
Binder (red or yellow) to hold fibers in
bundles

Forensic Analysis of Glass

Fundamental Question: Is it Glass?
Isotropic vs. Anisotropic

Glass: Isotropic

Crystalline solids and plastics: Anisotropic

dark when rotated under crossed polarizers

Change retardation when rotated under crossed
polarizers

Hardness
Solubility

Comparison of Physical
Characteristics

Color
Flatness
Thickness
FluorescenceFloat Glass

254 nm

Physical Properties

Density

Sink-Float Method

CHBr3, C2H2Br4, Sodium Polytungstate

Density Range:
2.465-2.540 g/cm3

When 2 substances have different RI, light passing through them

produces a Becke Line
A Becke line is a band or rim of light visible along a grain/crystal
boundary in plane-polarized light.

Glass analysis is often

performed using our old
friend the PLM
-the goal of glass analysis
by PLM is to individualize an
evidence glass fragment to an
exemplar from a crime scene
[primary or secondary]

Populations of
Glass RIs

GRIM II System
-automated system for matching glass RI
-uses a step-heating stage and a RI liquid that varies
with temperature

GRIM II identifies the RI match by monitoring a

video image of the glass fragment in the liquid
-as it is heated/cooled the contrast is measured until
a minimum is reached-the match point

Chemical Composition

Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP)

SEM/EDS
Neutron Activation Analysis
X-Ray Fluorescence

How does Glass break?

Forensic Fracture Analysis

Radial
Begin at a point and radiate
outward from point of impact
-initial crack is on the side
opposite the applied force

Concentric
Motion of the projectile through the glass
puts tension on the front surface of the glass,
causing concentric fractures.
-high-speed projectile [a rock] penetrates the
glass, it leaves an exit hole larger than it's
entrance hole.
-helps to determine the direction on impact.

A determination of the direction of

force in breaking a window pane:
-direction of the rib marks
[stress marks on broken edges of glass
that are perpendicular to one side of
glass]
For radial fractures (radiating from
the center):
- the direction of the force is on the
same side as the tangential parts of
the rib marks.

Bullets and Glass

Its possible to determine
the bullet's direction by
noting the side of the coneshaped hole left by the
bullet.
-small opening is on the
entrance
side

Counting Bullet Holes

Determination of the sequence of
bullet holes can be made by noting
the radial fractures.
Radial fractures caused by the
passage of a bullet stop at preexisting fracture.