This document provides an introduction to structural glass, including: - Structural glass is glass used in construction where it resists a portion of external loads rather than just a frame. - Glass can be made stronger by heat treating it, laminating multiple layers, and connecting pieces together with interlayers and connectors. - Modern structural glass designs include load bearing glass walls, fins, and other primary and secondary structures. - Design codes provide allowable stress calculations and factors to consider for the effective thickness and strength of laminated and heat-treated structural glass.

1. INTRODUCTION TO
STRUCTURAL GLASS

2. WHAT IS STRUCTURAL GLASS?
• GLASS… IS GLASS – SAND / SILICA, SODA, LIME ETC.
• STRUCTURAL GLASS
o GLASS CONSTRUCTION WHERE A PORTION OF
THE EXTERNAL LOADS ARE RESISTED BY THE
GLASS RATHER THAN A FRAME
• GLASS CAN FORM PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND
TIERTARY STRCUTURES

3. WINDOWS
FACADES

4. STAIRS
COLUMNS

5. STRUCTURAL GLASS COMPONENTS
• HOW DO YOU MAKE GLASS INTO A
STRUCTURE ?
1. TREAT THE GLASS TO MAKE IT STRONGER - HEAT
2. COMBINE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF GLASS – LAMINATION
3. STICK THE LAYERS OF GLASS TOGETHER – INTERLAYERS
4. CONNECT PIECES OF GLASS TOGETHER – CONNECTORS &
ADHESIVES
5. COMBINE OR CONNECT GLASS STRUCTURES BACK TO
OTHER STRUCTURES

6. HEAT TREATING GLASS
FLOAT GLASS → HEAT STRENGTHENED → TOUGHENED
45 N/mm2 70 N/mm2 120 N/mm2

7. LAMINATING
STRENGTH AND SAFETY

8. INTERLAYERS

9. INTERLAYERS

10. CONNECTIONS - MECHANICAL

11. CONNECTIONS - INSERTS

12. CONNECTING - ADHESIVES

13. WHAT CAN YOU ACHIEVE WITH
STRUCTURAL GLASS?

14. Camino del Mar

15. LOAD BEARING INSULATED GLASS WALLS

16. LOAD BEARING GLASS FINS

24. 2006 2011

25. 2019

30. DESIGN CODES
• Australia – AS 1288 – 2006
• US – ASTM E1300-09
• Europe – EN 13474-3 (Draft only!)
• Reasonably similar in approach
• Define allowable stress, modification factors, duration
factors
• Some have calculations for effective thickness
• Simple stress calculations and design tables
• AS 1288 has simple fin buckling equations

31. KEY POINTS ON DESIGN
• Allowable stress design – what’s my allowable stress?
• Base allowable stress
• Material factors – Glass type
• Load Duration factors

32. KEY POINTS ON DESIGN
• Effective thickness – how thick is my glass?
• Glass thickness and ply
• Interlayer Properties
• Load Duration factors
• Length of element
• Calculate or use FE analysis?

33. KEY POINTS ON DESIGN
• Redundancy
• Glass does not yield, so when it fails.. It fails
• Design incorporates potential failure mechanisms

34. KEY POINTS ON DESIGN
• Redundancy

35. KEY POINTS ON DESIGN
• Deflections and Drifts
• Glass stiff compared to surrounding structure, movements need to be
tightly controlled
• Joints between glass panels dependent on relative movement
• Allow movement of glass and other structure be independent – sliding
connections

36. ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS
• Analysis – how complicated?
• 2D beam → 2D plate → 3D brick

37. 3D BRICK ANALYSIS

38. ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS
• Areas of concentrated stress need detailed analysis
• Fine mesh, material stiffness, bearings, allowing rotation

39. DESIGN LIMIT STATES
• Glass failure – overstressed
• Bending, bearings, stresses around holes

40. DESIGN LIMIT STATES
• Buckling
• Bow, wind load, axial load, displacement, PDelta
• Different glass properties under different loading

41. DESIGN LIMIT STATES
• Deflection limit – serviceability, weather seals

42. MODERN TECHNOLOGIES
CORNING® GORRILLA® GLASS
Corning developed Gorilla® Glass in response to a need for improved
screens on handheld devices
Touch screen technology → greater demands on screen quality:
• High strength
• Lightweight
• Scratch resistant