Guidance for European Structural Design of Glass Components

Contents

Introduction and General .................................................................................................... 1

1.1

Establishing of a Eurocode on Structural Glass ............................................................ 1

1.2

Eurocode rules applicable to glass structures............................................................... 3

1.3

Structuring of the Eurocode .......................................................................................... 6

Material properties ............................................................................................................ 15

2.1

Glass .......................................................................................................................... 15

2.1.1

General ............................................................................................................... 15

2.1.2

Characteristics of annealed glass ........................................................................ 15

2.1.3

Toughened glass................................................................................................. 20

2.1.4

Breakage pattern................................................................................................. 21

2.1.5

Definition of the zones 1 to 4 ............................................................................... 23

2.1.6

Test methods according to EN 1288 ................................................................... 25

2.1.7

Statistical evaluation of the bending strength ...................................................... 27

2.1.8

Quality control by non-destructive methods, stress optics ................................... 28

2.2

Interlayer .................................................................................................................... 28

2.2.1

General ............................................................................................................... 28

2.2.2

Viscoelastic behaviour of interlayers ................................................................... 28

2.2.3

Determination of the viscoelastic behaviour with small size tests ...................... 29

2.2.4

Determination of the viscoelastic behaviour in the panel-torsion-test................... 30

2.2.5

Durability of PVB interlayer ................................................................................. 33

2.2.6
Design shear modulus of PVB- interlayer in dependence of temperature and time
during wind loading ........................................................................................................... 34
3

Products ........................................................................................................................... 39
3.1

General ...................................................................................................................... 39

3.2

Float glass.................................................................................................................. 40

3.2.1

General ............................................................................................................... 40

3.2.2

Geometrical properties ........................................................................................ 40

3.2.3

Surface processing ............................................................................................. 41

3.2.4

Forming ............................................................................................................... 41

3.3

Patterned glass .......................................................................................................... 42

3.4

Wired glass ................................................................................................................ 43

3.5

Drawn sheet glass ...................................................................................................... 43

3.6

Thermally toughened glass (TTG) .............................................................................. 43

3.7

Heat strengthened glass (HSG) ................................................................................. 46

3.8

Laminated and laminated safety glass ....................................................................... 47

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Guidance for European Structural Design of Glass Components

3.9

Thermally curved glass .............................................................................................. 50

3.10

Chemically strengthened glass ................................................................................... 51

3.11

Insulating glass .......................................................................................................... 51

3.12

Channel shaped glass ................................................................................................ 52

Principles and Basic Rules for the design of glass components and safety approach ....... 55
4.1

General ...................................................................................................................... 55

4.2

Classification of structural elements of glass .............................................................. 61

4.3

Secondary structural elements: robustness and residual capacity .............................. 62

4.3.1

General ............................................................................................................... 62

4.3.2

Composition and strength of the glass section .................................................... 62

4.3.3

Supports and bearing concept............................................................................. 63

4.3.4

Failure scenario................................................................................................... 63

4.3.5

Further general construction rules ....................................................................... 65

4.4

Primary structural elements: glass-robustness and damage tolerance ....................... 66

4.5

Special loading situations ........................................................................................... 68

4.5.1

Seismic structures ............................................................................................... 68

4.5.2

Blast loads .......................................................................................................... 70

4.6

Potential classification of glass components ............................................................... 74

5
Mechanical basics and verification approach for monolithic and laminated plates and
beams ...................................................................................................................................... 79

5.1

General ...................................................................................................................... 79

5.2

Linear and non-linear plate theory .............................................................................. 79

5.3

Plates with monolithic sections of glass under transverse loading .............................. 80

5.4

Mechanical description of the viscoelastic behaviour of interlayers ............................ 81

5.5

Bending behaviour of laminated sections due to transversal or axial loading ............. 83

5.6

Bending behaviour of laminated sections due to transversal loading without axial load
85

5.7

Post-glass breakage strength of laminated glass ....................................................... 88

5.8

Numerical analysis and experimental testing .............................................................. 89

Design of secondary structural glass components ............................................................ 93

6.1

Calculation of monolithic plates .................................................................................. 93

6.2

Consideration of the shear bond of laminated glass panels ........................................ 93

6.3

Insulating glass plates ................................................................................................ 94

6.4

Linearly supported glazing.......................................................................................... 98

6.5

Point fixed glazing .................................................................................................... 100

6.5.1

General ............................................................................................................. 100

6.5.2

Clamping systems ............................................................................................. 101

6.5.3

Point fixings with drilled holes............................................................................ 102

6.5.4

Adhesively bonded point fixings ........................................................................ 107

6.5.5

Embedded systems ........................................................................................... 108

6.6
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Glass Floors ............................................................................................................. 108

Guidance for European Structural Design of Glass Components

6.7

Horizontal Glazing accessible for maintenance ........................................................ 110

6.8

Retaining Glass Barriers and Glass Parapets........................................................... 110

6.9

Cold bent glass ........................................................................................................ 116

6.10

Glass in Photovoltaic applications (PV modules) ...................................................... 117

6.11

Reinforced glass components with enhanced redundancy ....................................... 118

Design of primary structural components ........................................................................ 119

7.1

General .................................................................................................................... 119

7.2

Shear panels ............................................................................................................ 120

7.2.1
Buckling of shear panels with single point load introduction at the corners along
the diagonal (corner loaded shear panels) ...................................................................... 120
7.2.2

Buckling of continuously supported shear panels .............................................. 124

7.2.3

Influence of the connection stiffness.................................................................. 126

7.3

Beams with bending about the strong axis Lateral torsional buckling .................... 126

7.3.1

Monolithic sections ............................................................................................ 126

7.3.2

Lateral torsional buckling of glass beams with laminated cross sections ........... 128

7.4

Columns ................................................................................................................... 136

7.4.1

General ............................................................................................................. 136

7.4.2

Consistent buckling curves for monolithic pane-like glass columns ................... 137

7.4.3

Experimental tests of monolithic glass columns................................................. 140

7.4.4

Buckling of columns with laminated sections ..................................................... 143

7.4.5

Critical load of laminated bars under axial loads with blocked end slip .............. 146

7.4.6

Interaction of axial loads with bending moments ............................................... 150

7.4.7

Consideration of short term long term loading effects on the stability ............. 150

7.4.8

Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 150

7.5

Beam-columns ......................................................................................................... 151

7.6
Hybrid structures and hybrid glass components with enhanced pre- and post-failure
performance ....................................................................................................................... 151
8

Joints and Connections .................................................................................................. 159

8.1

General .................................................................................................................... 159

8.2

Bolted connections ................................................................................................... 159

8.2.1

Detailing of a structural bolted connection of bolts in shear in glass holes ......... 160

8.2.2

Analytical verification of a bolted connection in glass ........................................ 160

8.2.3

Elastic response of an in-plane loaded solid pane ............................................. 161

8.2.4

Approximation and engineering formula ............................................................ 168

8.3

Friction Joints ........................................................................................................... 169

8.4

Adhesive bonding ..................................................................................................... 171

8.4.1

General ............................................................................................................. 171

8.4.2

Types of adhesive ............................................................................................. 173

8.4.3

Present state of standardization ........................................................................ 175

8.4.4

Current research ............................................................................................... 177

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Guidance for European Structural Design of Glass Components

8.4.5

Proposals for the calculation ............................................................................. 178

8.4.6

Future prospects ............................................................................................... 178

Concluding Remarks ...................................................................................................... 181

10

References ..................................................................................................................... 183

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