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Glass adhesive structural elements
The structural use of glass is limited by the available forming and jointing techniques. Float glass is used to obtain a transparent and smooth appearance but it is either flat or curved to a compartively large radius. Cast glass can be used to produce channel and slab sections but these
lack smooth surfaces and transparency. We have been studying the use of adhesives to make built-up glass sections such as T-beams.
Work has shown that it is possible to get within 99 percent of fully composite action. With the use of modified epoxy adhesives and silane primers it is normal for failure to occur in the glass adjacent to the adhesive before the adhesive fails.
The figure below shows (at exagertaed scale) the deflections of a glass flange. The glass may carry stresses as high as 140 N/mm2 and buckling is the more likely cause of failure.
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| Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering