"Structural Behaviour of Reinforced Glass"

A special element obtained by coupling glass with FRP (Fiber-Reinforced Plastic) was made with the aim of upgrading the specifications of glass by increasing its tensile strength and increasing its degree of safety on breaking. The element was obtained by applying glass or carbon fibers with epoxy resin to the basic shell. Structural behavior was studied by experimenting with three element typologies made of float glass, tempered glass and laminated glass respectively, on their own or combined with FRP. The three specimen typologies were subjected to two sets of flexural tests. The first, which concerned small test specimens, consisted of three-point tests. The second consisted of four-point tests in accordance with UNI EN 1288-3. The results of the tests were satisfactory. The values recorded for the collapsing load of the sheets of glass with fiber were considerably higher than those recorded for the specimens without reinforcement. The behavior in the “post-critical” phase is also interesting, because the presence of the fiber reducing the problems connected with sudden breakage and increasing the safety of the system. The satisfactory results of the experiments on reinforced glass led to the making of various prototypes of reinforced glass beams that showed a post-critical behavior, reducing problems connected with sudden failure.