The transient thermal stresses that develop in annular glass-to-metal seals subjected to a thermal shock are evaluated using a two-dimensional axisymmetric model. The results show that large transient maximum radial stresses occur which can cause separation at the interface between glass and metal. The magnitude of this maximum stress is largely dependent on the size configuration, the thermal shock medium used. For certain size configurations the stresses at the interface can be approximated using a plane strain analysis. The results for constant and temperature-dependent thermal expansion coefficients are compared. The effect of material property ratios is analyzed.