How is it that a glass fridge shelf can support so much weight in the middle of the shelf (including some flexing) without breaking at the edges where it is sitting?

Question

I’ve had this question in my head for a long time, and it’s time to silence the thoughts. I’m always paranoid that the shelf will break with 3 gallons of liquid on it but it never does, even though the glass shelf is flexing and isn’t metal like the 1950’s fridge shelves. It doesn’t have plastic edging where the glass sits, so it’s just a sheet of flexing death.

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Glass is very strong. One of the strongest materials in tension as opposed to compression. Fiberglass is used to build all kinds of things that need strength where weight is not much of an issue. It is also brittle so I suspect you are confusing brittle with weak. Concrete which people think of as strong is weak in tension but very strong in compression.