Structural behaviour of laminated glass elements – a step towards standardization

ir. Didier Delincé & dr. ir.-arch. Jan Belis, Ghent University, Laboratory for Research on Structural Models, Department of Structural Engineering & ir. Gauthier Zarmatib, ir. Benoit Parmentierb Belgian Building Research Institute, Laboratory for Structur

Various research projects were undertaken last years to study the mechanical properties and behaviour of laminated glass elements for use in structural applications, with as principal aim the development of design rules adapted to this particular kind of material. However, up till now design rules of commonly used standards or other reference documents do not sufficiently take into account the specific properties of the interlayer material for the calculation of the stiffness of laminated glass.

The Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI) carried out a research project between 2004 and 2006 in collaboration with the Laboratory for Research on Structural Models of Ghent
University, with as main objective the development of standardization to support the use of laminated glass products and associated design rules for specific, essentially “structural”,
applications.

This paper presents the main outcomes of this research project, focusing on the following aspects : characterization of mechanical properties of different interlayer materials, effect of weathering on the design values of those properties (durability of the mechanical properties), bending behaviour of laminated glass plates, buckling of laminated glass beams, and discussion on the influence of tolerances of laminated glass layers thickness.

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The Authors

Mr. Didier Delincé Researcher Laboratory for research on structural models, UGent Didier Delincé received his degree of civil engineer construction from Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) in 2002. He worked as researcher at the Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI) for... Read more