ADVANCED DESIGN OF GLASS

STRUCTURES
Design of glass column
Viorel Ungureanu
European Erasmus Mundus Master Course

Sustainable Constructions
under Natural Hazards and Catastrophic Events
520121-1-2011-1-CZ-ERA MUNDUS-EMMC

Objectives of the lecture

Objectives
Composite section
Non-composite
section
Accidental situation

Worked example

1) Assess the resistance of a glass

column made of bundled tubes,
supporting a roof, as shown in the
figure. Tubes are attached together
by the use of adhesive which
enables them to work as:
a) a single composite section;
b) a non-composite section.
L= c1 4000 mm
tube outside diameter
d = 135 mm
thickness
t = 6 mm
Design value of glass strength:
in compression
fcd = c2 400 MPa
in tension
ftd = 50 MPa

Design of glass column

a) Section A - A

L
b) Section A - A
after failure

116,91
184,41

67,5

2) Assess the resistance of the same

column with two broken tubes - see
the figure.
2

Composite section
Objectives

Accidental situation

tube outside diameter

d = 135 mm

thickness

t = 6 mm

area of one tube

A0

d 2 d 2t
A0
4

moment of inertia of one tube

67,5

Non-composite
section

Tubes are attached by use of adhesive which enables them to work as a

single composite section

116,91

Composite
section

d 4 d 2t 4
I0
64

67,5

I0

Moment of inertia of composite section Iy ,Iz

I y 3I 0 4 I 0 A0 r12

r = 116,91mm
1

I z I 0 4 I 0 A0 r22 2 I 0 A0 r32

r2 = 67,5mm
r3 = 135,0mm

Composite section
Objectives
Composite
section
Non-composite
section
Accidental situation

Maximal resistance in compression without buckling

N max cd 7 A0
Critical force

N cr ,comp

2 EI
2
Lcr

safety factor restriction for capacity by Ncr/4

N Rd ,1

N cr ,comp
4

Non-composite section
Objectives
Composite section

Tubes without connection, each tube share axial load equally

Critical force of one tube

Non-composite
section
Accidental situation

N cr , 0

2 EI 0
2
Lcr

Capacity of the column

N Rd , 2

7 N cr , 0

Accidental situation
Objectives
Composite section
Non-composite
section
Accidental
situation

2) Accidental situation two broken tubes

New location of gravity axis

yT

3 A0 184,41 2 A0 67,5
5 A0

yT

116,91
184,41

67,5

Moment of inertia IyT of 5 tube composite section

2

I yT 3I 0 3 A0 184,41 yT 2 I 0 2 A0 yT 67,5
Distance to the tensioned fibres dt
Distance to the compressed fibres dc
Critical force

N cr , yT

2 EI yT

L2cr

yT
116,91
184,41

67,5

tensioned fibres

Eccentricity of force

e 184,41 yT

Accidental situation
Objectives
Composite section
Non-composite
section
Accidental
situation

a) axial force + moment tensioned fibres

I yT

W y ,tension

Cross-section modulus

dt

maximal allowed force for tensioned fibres

f td

N Ed
N e
Ed
5 A0 W y ,tension

N Ed

b) axial force + moment compressed fibres

Cross-section modulus

W y ,compression

I yT
dc

maximal allowed force for compressed fibres

N Ed
N Ed e
f cd

5 A0 W y ,compression
Conclusion:

N Ed

Preliminary resistance of glass column

Thank you
for your attention
viorel.ungureanu@upt.ro
http://steel.fsv.cvut.cz/suscos