Ten years ago, Wrightstyle tested one of its systems against a lorry bomb and, immediately afterwards, a car bomb.

It was a breakthrough test, conducted independently at a specialist site in Northumberland, and involved the company’s structurally-glazed system being subjected to the equivalent of 500 kilos of TNT.

Wrightstyle is one of Europe’s leading companies involved in the design and fabrication of advanced glazing systems to mitigate against fire, bomb or ballistic attack.

It remains a landmark event that established Wrightstyle as a trusted supplier in this highly specialised and international market.

The importance of the test was that, in urban areas, between 80-85% of all secondary blast injuries are caused by flying glass.

The Wrightstyle system’s strength is achieved through a high-specification structural glazing technique that bonds the glass to the framing support system so that, in an explosion, the components work together to safely absorb the thermal shock of the explosion.

The test was carried out at RAF Spadeadam and comprised a simulated lorry bomb attack, immediately followed by a simulated car bomb attack (100 kilos of TNT).

The lorry bomb was detonated 75 metres from the test rig and the car bomb was detonated at a distance of 20 metres, producing a higher loading on the façade.  Both tests were equally successful.

“A lot of similar test data is computer generated.  Instead, we wanted to test our system against real bombs,” said Jane Embury, marketing director.

“That reflects our approach to any of our products.  We can guarantee the quality of everything we make because our testing is absolutely thorough,” she said.

Picture attached: The lorry bomb being detonated and you can see a video of the test here