A question for the mechanical engineering grads out there. I once made a "broken glass" table in my early years and would like to do it again as a set of end tables and matching coffee table. I have no problem making the tables per se, but need help with the glass part. I need a little help in getting the right thicknesses of the glass for strength integrity. This is the concept I previously used IIRC. I had a 3/8 inch pane of tempered glass as the base under-layer, a 3/8 inch pane of colored tempered glass as the "broken" layer, and a 1/8 inch pane of glass as the cover "top" layer. The question is with the appx dimensions of glass being 40x22 inches or so, what are the minimum thickness of the glass panels required to be structurally sound and kid proof. The load weight would be the usual coffee table stuff, plates, couple books, drinks, etc. but don't want an accidental trip to be catastophic? I am also looking to keep the actual weight of the unit as low as possible but still needs to be "kid proof". IIRC the one I made previously weighed a ton. Thanks for any help provided. Also as a side note, this is one of the only projects that I actually get to break something that is pre-planned.
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