Reinforced glass concept: An experimental research

The Glass & Transparency research group has developed a safety concept for structural glass beams which shows some analogy with reinforced concrete. Annealed float glass beams are reinforced by adhesively bonding a stainless steel section to the layout of the beam. Current research focuses on the effect of different reinforcement layouts and different adhesive types on the post-failure behaviour of reinforced glass beams. For this research 30 specimens with a length of 1.5 m have been subjected to a four-point bend test. Three reinforcement layouts and two adhesives (DELO GB368 and Araldite 2013) have been tested. The test results show differences in fracture patterns, failure behaviour and failure mechanisms for the tested reinforcement layouts and applied adhesives. Regarding structural qualities and consistency layout III and Araldite 2013 performed best. However, DELO GB368 provides some major advantages at the manufacturing process. Combining the advantages of both adhesives into one adhesive seems preferable.