Design Consideration for Safety Glass Panels with Vertical Structural Silicone Joints

Dr. Abhi Ray, Dr. Leon Jacob, Joseph D’Cruz and Shomo Sen

Facetted glass installations in shopping centres and lobbies of commercial buildings have become common practice. These installations often use non-structural silicone with the associated potential for failure.

This paper reviews the design criteria currently in use and discusses a design protocol for the correct use of silicone as a method of providing adequate lateral restraint in the glazing system.

The results of recent testing and finite element analysis of the structural joint indicate that more care is required in the design and application of this type of silicone joint. The joint confi guration and the edge constraints are critical to the performance of the system.

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