The initial idea behind this project was to optimize the interaction or co-action of glass and steel for in-plane loaded glass elements. In respect to typical façade applications the boundary conditions, e.g. loads, dimensions, connections, materials, were determined. Based on that mechanical and numerical models were developed that are capable to describe the structural behavior. The investigated system was then reduced to a single “module” as a representative element of the structure. For this project one element is considered as a glass pane with a (small) edge beam on two opposite edges. \r\nCommon façade concepts usually use glass as envelope material transferring only wind load and dead load to the substructure. Integrating the substructure into the façade surface, glass pane and steel frame act together for both in-plane and surface loads. Most research projects dealing with in-plane loaded glass elements assume rigid boundary conditions, i.e. large cross sections for the sub-structure, as they are usually not given in façades due to economic and architectural reasons. Additionally – and in contrast to i.e. columns – façade elements are loaded in-plane and out of plane and therefore usually not stability criteria but deformation restrictions are decisive for the design, especially due to strict limitations in façade design codes. In a first step different load-paths and boundary conditions were investigated for the described glass-steel elements. As load paths were considered the load transfer from glass edge to glass edge, uniformly distributed along the edge or concentrated near the corners, from edge beam to edge beam and hybrid forms of those. The edge beams were regarded as slender as well as massive. Extreme values for the edge beam (rigid or not existing) lead to standard systems with known solutions i.e. for stability analysis (buckling). Based on these systems the verification was done by comparison with values given in literature. One important result of this first step is, that even for very slender edge beams the load carrying capacity is higher when introduction the loads into the steel instead of the glass. Accompanying to the numerical analysis experimental testing was done to verify the calculation model and outcome. In the second step multiple systems with different geometries, measures, stiffness and loads were examined determining deformations, stresses and stability-parameters. The input parameters (loads, dimensions, stiffness values) were defined assuming realistic façade applications. As a first result, the load-deformation behavior and load-stress characteristics were constituted as tables for typical parameters. The further analysis of the data showed an important communality for all models leading to a uniform parametric formulation of the load-deformation behavior. On that basis a general design method for the described kind of glass-steel-members was developed. Although in-plane loaded glass elements are not new as such, as there are a lot of projects realized already, for many applications a frame for the glass in necessary anyway for fixing or connection purpose. For those cases this thesis presents the investigation results and an easy design concept for glass elements with slender edge beams that allows designing very economic façade elements.    «

The initial idea behind this project was to optimize the interaction or co-action of glass and steel for in-plane loaded glass elements. In respect to typical façade applications the boundary conditions, e.g. loads, dimensions, connections, materials, were determined. Based on that mechanical and numerical models were developed that are capable to describe the structural behavior. The investigated system was then reduced to a single “module” as a representative element of the structure. For this...    »