Finite-element analysis of post-tensioned SG-laminated glass beams with mechanically anchored tendons

Abstract

Based on past experimental research results, this paper aims to investigate the structural performance of laminated glass beams with posttensioned, mechanically anchored tendons, via extended finite-element (FE) simulations. The posttensioned glass beam concept offers the advantage of providing a certain amount of initial compressive stresses in glass, hence resulting in a marked increase of the initial fracture load and in a rather appreciable redundancy, compared to typically brittle, unreinforced glass beams. Due to the presence of the post-tensioned tendons, a significant level of residual strength can also be guaranteed, thus resulting in a structurally efficient and safe design concept. In order to fully optimize the expected resistance and redundancy potentialities, however, careful consideration should be paid for a multitude of geometrical and mechanical aspects. In this research contribution, both full 3D and shell models are implemented for post-tensioned laminated glass beams. Based on validation of these FE models towards the past full-scale experimental results, the effects of several mechanical parameters are emphasized (e.g. steel tendon percentage, level of the applied pre-stressing force and the presence of possible geo-C. Bedon (B) University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy e-mail: bedon@dicar.units.it C. Louter TU Delft, Delft, The Netherlands metrical imperfections) under room temperature and quasi-static loads. It is expected, based on the current study, that the examined design concept could be further developed and optimized.

Finite-Element Numerical Simulation of the Bending Performance of Post-Tensioned Structural Glass Beams with Adhesively Bonded CFRP Tendons

“…There, the experimentally observed range of deflections at collapse for the test specimens is emphasized. The maximum compressive stress value in glass was found to be typically lower than the corresponding nominal resistance of the material, namely in the order of 1000MPa, as well as in agreement with other numerical research investigation on similar structural glass beams (see for example Bedon and Louter, 2016).…”

“…In accordance with past research projects (see for example Louter and Nielsen, 2013;Bedon and Louter, 2014;Bedon and Louter, 2016), in addition, an almost uniform propagation of cracks through the beam thickness was generally observed, as also highlighted by the axonometric isocurves proposed in Fig. 14.…”

“…However, attempts to rationally simulate the structural response of such post-tensioned glass beams through advanced Finite-Element (FE) numerical models are currently limited (see for example Bedon and Louter, 2016). Therefore, the current paper focuses on the FE investigation of previously tested glass beams with adhesively bonded CFRP post-tensioning tendons.…”

The TVT Glass Pavilion: Theoretical Study on a Highly Transparent Building Made with Long-Spanned TVT Portals Braced with Hybrid Glass-Steel Panels

“…In particular, active pre-stressed beams showed excellent performance: these include beams with a single [8,9] or double [10] glass web reinforced with external tendons, beams with metallic reinforcement adhesively [11][12][13] or mechanically [14] bonded at the bottom side, and two-sided reinforced glass beams [15,16]. Concerning two-dimensional systems, hybrid solutions are less diffuse than hybrid beams even though glass as a shear frame restraint has been used since the nineteenth century (i.e.…”

HYGLASS: Design Proposal for an Integrated Multifunctional Hybrid Glass-Steel Structure

“…More recently, in order to provide additional layers of redundancy and to exploit the high compressive resistance of glass, post-tensioned tendons were introduced, so crack initiation is further delayed and more robustness is achieved (Martens et al, 2015b). Hence, transparency of the surfaces is as much as possible preserved (Louter et al, 2014;Cupać et al, 2017;Bedon and Louter, 2016;Jordão et al, 2014;Feng et al, 2015;Engelmann and Weller, 2016).…”