Microwave Problems

Anyone ever hear of a microwave shattering a window that was next to a microwave?

While popping popcorn at my workplace, a large window with double safety glass exploded. MY workplace thinks I caused it and all I did was pop some popcorn. The large microwave is like 2-3 feet from office glass. Has anyone ever heard of this happening? Nothing exploded in the microwave and the popcorn was fine. Thanks

Public Comments

1. A microwave oven cannot shatter glass. In fact, the microwave probably had nothing to do with it. If there was no impact, it was probably caused by nickel sulphide. In recent years there have been a number of sensational reports in the media about “glass cancer” and “spontaneous glass fracture”, with stories relating to “glass raining down from high-rise buildings”. These stories refer to incidents where toughened glass windows shatter without warning. Although it is only recently that this so-called "spontaneous" failure of toughened glass has come to public attention, it has been known about since 1960. These failures are due to the presence of nickel sulphide inclusions. In fact, nickel sulphide inclusions in glass are quite rare. In a typical glass batch there will be one 5 µg inclusion per ton of glass (an average concentration of 5 parts in 1012). Though rare, the nickel sulphide inclusions are very troublesome and potentially dangerous when present in toughened glass. The reason for all the trouble is a delayed phase transformation in nickel sulphide. Nickel sulphide crystals have a high temperature and a low temperature form. The dense crystal form at high temperature swells on cooling to make a less dense crystal form at low temperatures. In ordinary annealed glass nickel sulphide inclusions do not cause problems because the transformation occurs as the glass is cooled slowly during manufacture. However, the transformation is sluggish and when glass is rapidly cooled as part of the toughening process, the nickel sulphide remains trapped in its high temperature form until some years later when its transformation breaks the glass. Your "safety" windows were probably toughened glass with enough nickel sulfide in them to make them something of a ticking time-bomb. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
2. glad to hear the popcorn was fine:) No, but seriously, I have never heard of a microwave breaking windows. My micro is about 2 feet from the window too. It has been there for years now, and I haven't had any problems. Good luck.