Adhesively bonded reinforced glass beams

P.C. Louter
Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands

Researchers at the faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology have developed an unconventional construction method for large span structural glass beams based on two concepts: 1) glass beams are reinforced with a small stainless steel section bonded at the tensile zone, 2) large spans are created by adhesively bonding overlapping glass segments. The effect of cross-section geometry, reinforcement geometry and glass-reinforcement bond on the structural behaviour of the beams has experimentally been investigated by bend tests on several small and large scale specimens. Knowledge gained from these experiment will be implemented in the design of an 18 m adhesively bonded reinforced glass beam, which is planned to be constructed in order to validate the concepts for large span glass beams.

Key words: Structural glass, glass beam, reinforcement, ductility, adhesive bond, composite, safety