The design of windscreen and lateral windows for fast trains has been conceived to satisfy the high level mechanical performances in addition to ballistic impact strength requested by Italian railway specifications. Furthermore optical, thermal, acoustical, solar control and luminosity of internal passenger compartment have to satisfy not only standard specifications but also new needs to be competitive in the globalisation of the products. Among the optical characteristics, the most difficult to satisfy have been the specification limits relative to the difference in colour transmission and haze, both concerning the windscreen, which has to be heatable by alternative technologies, including direct coating or conductive polymer films in order to achieve de-icing performance. One solution here looks at a composite glass-polycarbonate laminate glazing.
