Abstract: There is a transparent armor system. The system comprises a transparent front region comprising a strike-face layer. The front region includes a mass of a type of material characterized by having sufficient energy absorption capacity and energy dissipation properties to reduce radial tensile stresses and hoop tensile stresses caused by an impact at the strike face to a set reduced level. The impact has impact energy caused by an impact projectile having a mass hitting the strike-face layer. The system further comprises a transparent back region comprising a potassium-sodium exchanged glass characterized by having a surface compression of at least about 50,000 psi and a compression case depth of at least about 200 microns. The potassium-sodium exchanged glass is present in one of a layer and a plurality of layers in the back region. There are also associated methods of making and methods of using.

Abstract: There is a method for making. The method includes providing an untreated alkali aluminosilicate glass having an annealing point temperature that is at least about 580° C. The method also includes providing a mixed potassium and sodium salt bath having greater than about 50 mole % potassium salt and less than about 50 mole % sodium salt. The method also includes immersing the untreated glass in the mixed salt bath and maintaining the mixed salt bath with the immersed untreated glass within a temperature range from about 450° C. to less than the annealing point temperature of the untreated glass for a period greater than about 2 hours to produce a strengthened glass. The produced strengthened glass has a surface compression of at least about 100,000 psi and a compression case depth of at least about 600 microns.