In Klamath Falls, Oregon, our facilities are finding innovative ways to put JELD-WEN products to the test - one of which involves launching a wooden two-by-four into impact-rated windows and patio doors.
All component elements of our doors and windows are tested to ensure quality and durability when they enter the spaces that touch our lives. “Whether it’s wood, fiberglass, vinyl, glass, or another material, it’s tested so we can guarantee the capabilities of the finished product,” said Jason Dassel, research and development lab manager of JELD-WEN’s lab in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Jason and the research and development team test approximately 1200 samples of component parts and conduct 30 to 40 total structural tests on windows and doors every month.
One of these tests evaluates impact-rated windows and patio doors. When Mother Nature threatens a home, JELD-WEN’s storm-tested glass can handle the pressure – because it was tested under harsh conditions in the lab.
“Our impact-rated products are mounted to a structural test wall and an air-cannon shoots a wooden two by four at the product at 34 mph. With a window, the two-by-four will impact the glass,” Jason said. The outer pane of glass will break, but it’s sacrificial. The interior pane is laminated glass. The interlayer of the laminate is designed to hold the fractured glass together, stopping any additional debris from entering your home.
After a product has been impacted, it is cycled through positive and negative pressure tests to simulate winds of a hurricane.
Hurricane testing has real implications – the Torregrossas, a couple living in Florida when Hurricane Ian hit, can attest to it. Our hurricane-resistant windows saved their home from destruction. You can read more about their story here.
With the privilege of entering people's workplaces, homes and daily lives, comes the responsibility of delivering reliable products that enrich the places and lives that they touch. Testing our products to the highest standards helps JELD-WEN live up to this responsibility. Read more about how JELD-WEN puts its products to the test here.