Probabilistic Assessment of the Bending Strength of Chemically and Thermally Tempered Glass Specimens

Maurizio Froli & Leonardo Lani, University of Pisa

The strength of a structural glass component submitted to increasing loads depends strongly on many factors like temperature, humidity, loads introduction and also on the geometrical features of the component itself. It is well known that glass cannot develop plastic deformations and that it is so extremely sensitive to surface imperfections that their density per unit square can be used as a capacity index for the material to resist tension stresses.

Experience has demonstrated that the point of crack initiation does not necessary coincide with that of maximum nominal tension stress its but rather the apex of the imperfection, generally the deepest, where the stress concentration overcomes the material's strength. Under this point of view every deterministic assessment of the structural safety based on the comparison between the nominal stress level in the component and a characteristic, admissible stress of the material cannot have any theoretical ground.

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The Authors

	Mr. Maurizio Froli Prof. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Struttunle 1980 Civil Engineering degree "magna cum laude", University of Pisa. 1982 Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Engineering in Pisa, section "Steel and Reinforced Concrete Constructions". 1990 exper... Read more
	Dr. Leonardo Lani Engineer University of Pisa Leonardo Lani, born 1971, received his civil engineering degree from Univ. of Florence in 2001, and his PhD degree from the Univ. of Pisa in 2006. He is presently Research Contractor. Read more