On May 21, a netizen posted a video claiming that the windows in multiple homes in Taihua Jincheng Community, Longquanyi District, Chengdu, experienced spontaneous glass breakage.
On May 22, a property management staff member of Taihua Jincheng confirmed to Haibao News that several homeowners indeed had glass breakage incidents and that the issue was being addressed.
The staff member mentioned that hazard mitigation was carried out for affected households the previous day, but the exact number of affected homes was still being determined. According to Jiupai News, there were no injuries reported in this incident, and the developer had taken glass samples for third-party testing, with results to be made public.
The property management downplayed the severity of the situation compared to online claims of “over 50 homes experiencing glass breakage,” stating that since April, they had received reports from three households about similar incidents. Earlier responses from property staff attributed the breakages to glass quality issues, assuring that damaged glass would be replaced.
Research indicates that spontaneous glass breakage can be due to external factors like impacts during transportation or deliberate striking, as well as inherent defects from the manufacturing process such as bubbles, cracks, or impurities. Poor installation, such as minimal gaps or direct contact with the frame, can also induce breakage due to pressure on the glass edges or corners.
For tempered glass, spontaneous breakage is often linked to nickel sulfide inclusions, where rapid cooling during production leads to phase changes and volume expansion, causing the glass to crack. Experts in the building and renovation industry confirm that while glass can indeed spontaneously break, the underlying cause typically relates to the glass’s quality.
