Experimental characterization of non-linear behavior of monolithic glass

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and analytical study on one-dimensional slender elements of monolithic glass subjected to simultaneous compression and bending, which progressively increased up to the collapse. The experiments were performed on 32 quintuplets; each quintuplet was composed of five identical specimens, while the quintuplets differed from each other in the geometry and glass of the specimens. The load and restraints applied to a specimen of a quintuplet were different from those applied to the other specimens of the same quintuplet; hence, five different types of tests were performed on the 160 specimens. In each test, the load and the displacements were measured continuously.The collapse, which occurred when the maximum tensile stress reached glass tensile strength (first cracking), exhibited large deflections. Cracking always initiated away from the edges, since the tests had been designed to avoid edge effects. The results proved that geometric non-linear behavior of glass members cannot be described using the same model as steel structures. An analytical model was then constructed to describe the behavior of glass members subjected to combined compression and bending, which predicts the load-carrying capacity and allows safety to be assessed.