More Than Meets the Eye: The Secret of the Olympic Cauldron

		TECHNICAL GLASS PRODUCTS OLYMPIC CAULDRON Since traditional glass would shatter when exposed to cold air and hot flames at the same time, Olympic cauldron designers used a high-tech transparent ceramic material called FireLite. Media contact: Jeff Peabody: +1-253-661-7333, Brandner Communications Inc. (PRNewsFoto)[TC] KIRKLAND, WA USA

		TECHNICAL GLASS PRODUCTS OLYMPIC CAULDRON Since traditional glass would shatter when exposed to cold air and hot flames at the same time, Olympic cauldron designers used a high-tech transparent ceramic material called FireLite. Media contact: Jeff Peabody: +1-253-661-7333, Brandner Communications Inc. (PRNewsFoto)[TC] KIRKLAND, WA USA

KIRKLAND, Wash., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- After judging scandals, controversial calls and dramatic plot twists, it seems the 2002 Winter Games have one more bombshell. The now very familiar icon of the whole event, the dramatic glass cauldron, has its own secret to tell: (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020222/SFF042-a ) http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020222/SFF042-b ) It's not really glass. Can it be true? Is nothing sacred? What the world has taken for granted the past two weeks turns out to be one more example of how things may not be as they first appear. However, in this case, reality actually turns out to be better than the illusion. Here is the real story: Designers of the cauldron wanted the chalice to be clear to maximize the view of the 24 ft. flame across the valley. Rather than simply show the top of the flame, they wanted the entire fire to be visible. But traditional glass cannot tolerate temperature extremes, such as the type created by an intense fire on one side and cold Utah air on the other. Under those conditions, glass doesn't know whether to expand or contract, so instead it shatters and falls. What to do? The designers called Technical Glass Products (TGP) of Kirkland, Washington. Since 1988, TGP has specialized in the unique relationship between glass and fire, and they knew just the solution to the dilemma. The answer came in a product called FireLite(R) -- a visually clear fire-rated material that is normally used in schools, hospitals and commercial buildings where fire protection is needed. FireLite is not glass at all, but is actually a high-tech transparent ceramic. Known for its tremendous ability to withstand heat, ceramic can be found in everything from kitchen cook tops to car engines. That same characteristic has now been preserved in transparent form. FireLite looks like ordinary window glass, yet it has been furnace tested to endure temperatures beyond 1,600 degrees F. The Olympic cauldron required 2,000 square feet of FireLite. Each of the triangular shapes in the spiraling helix under the cauldron took two pieces of FireLite, laminated together with a blue interlayer in between to achieve the "fire and ice" theme. The large chalice atop the cauldron holding the flame is really a bowl within a bowl -- an inner bowl of FireLite surrounded by a larger bowl of laminated FireLite for safety purposes. The outer bowl is bathed with water to keep the plastic laminate from being destroyed by the heat. As a result, the designers were able to create the look and feel they wanted without actually using a single piece of glass. "We were thrilled to have the opportunity to help with such a historic project," stated Jerry Razwick, president of Technical Glass Products. "People may not know it when they look at the cauldron, but FireLite scored an Olympic achievement." For more information, visit TGP's website at http://www.fireglass.com. CONTACT: Jeff Peabody of Brandner Communications, +1-253-661-7333, or jpeabody@brandner.com, for Technical Glass Products.