High Tide Aquatics

Custom 500G Reef System

robert4025

robert4025

Neptune Aquatics
LFS Owner
BARcard
This has been the longest project I’ve worked on. Took two full years to finish. Finally got it system- level leak testing today. Here’s some details about the tank:

- Mfg - Crystal Dynamic
- Dimension: 78"x38"x38"
- Eurobraced w/ stainless steel top and bottom
- Reinforced bottom with perimeter brace
- Reinforced vertical seams
- Overlapping double top brace
- Custom Modular Marine overflow
- 3/4" laminated Sentryglas-interlayer glass
- Low iron glass
- 1.5" SCH 80 drain bulkhead
- 3/4" SCH 80 return bulkheads
- Starboard bottom
- 44” tall welded steel stand w/ seismic restrain bracing.
988B36A6-5C63-4F89-8503-FA4B2D88D3CE.jpeg
 
Keep in mind that laminated glass is only as strong as it’s individual pieces. In this case it looks to be two pieces of 3/8” glass with a 1/16” interlayer. At least it uses a sentry interlayer which adds some rigidity oppose to the typical PVB interlayer. Laminated glass of this thickness will fail with nearly the same stresses that a single piece of 3/8” glass will but when it does fail, it won’t blow out into individual shards of glass. The plastic interlayer will keep it together as one piece. The debate is if it’s better to fail in a more controlled manner or to make it stronger (i.e. 1/2” or 3/4” monolithic glass or even tempering the glass) and keep it from failing in the first place. There’s a point of view that says you can’t guarantee that something won’t fail and therefore engineer it in a way so that it fails in a way that you want it to.
 
Flagg37 said:
Keep in mind that laminated glass is only as strong as it’s individual pieces. In this case it looks to be two pieces of 3/8” glass with a 1/16” interlayer. At least it uses a sentry interlayer which adds some rigidity oppose to the typical PVB interlayer. Laminated glass of this thickness will fail with nearly the same stresses that a single piece of 3/8” glass will but when it does fail, it won’t blow out into individual shards of glass. The plastic interlayer will keep it together as one piece. The debate is if it’s better to fail in a more controlled manner or to make it stronger (i.e. 1/2” or 3/4” monolithic glass or even tempering the glass) and keep it from failing in the first place. There’s a point of view that says you can’t guarantee that something won’t fail and therefore engineer it in a way so that it fails in a way that you want it to.
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Yes, that was the reason customer opted for laminated. We wanted to avoid a blowout in case one panel is compromised.
 
robert4025 said:
Yes, that was the reason customer opted for laminated. We wanted to avoid a blowout in case one panel is compromised.
Click to expand...
I was doing some more research after my last post and it looks like when the laminated glass is supported on all sides, then it is slightly stronger than similarly sized monolithic pieces. I’ve always used them for stair guardrails where the anchor point is only on one side and maybe this is why my structural engineer has me go thicker when using laminated glass. I’ll have to ask him about this particular application. The structural tests I saw done were of far thinner pieces being tested under stress for 3 seconds at a time; their testing purposes were to simulate windows under hurricane scenarios. This is situation is a much greater stress for essentially the life of the piece of glass. I’m also curious how having a hole (like for a bulkhead) effects the strength.
 
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