Structural Glazing - Creep Deformation of PVB in Architectural Applications

Pol D'Haene

Computer simulations have been carried out in order to calculate the deformation of the polymeric interlayer in laminated glass for certain architectural applications. In some designs of structural glazing the outer glass panel is not supported and the PVB starts to creep. This results is a displacement of the outer glass panel compared to its original position. The degree of vertical movement depends on different parameters such as temperature of the PVB, the weight of the outer glass panel, the thickness of the PVB and the rheological properties of the material. A computer program has been written in order to calculate the displacement of the glass as a function of time. The principle of the calculation and the influence of some parameters on the deformation will be discussed in this article.

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