Numerical analyses of the effect of SG-interlayer shear stiffness on the structural performance of reinforced glass beams

This paper focuses on the numerical modelling of SentryGlas-laminated reinforced glass beams. In these beams, which have been experimentally investigated in preceding research, a stainless steel reinforcement section is laminated at the inner recessed edge of a triple-layer glass beam by means of SentryGlas (SG) interlayer sheets. The current contribution numerically investigates the effect of the SG-interlayer shear stiffness on the overall structural response of the beams. This is done by means of a 3D finite element model in which the individual glass layers, the SG-interlayers and the reinforcement are incorporated. In the model, the glass parts are allowed to crack, but all other parts are assumed linear elastic throughout the analyses. By changing the shear modulus of the SG-interlayer in multiple analyses, its contribution to the overall structural performance of the beams – especially at the post-breakage stage –is investigated. From the results of the analyses it is observed that the residual load-bearing capacity, i.e. the load-bearing capacity after glass fracture, increases with an increasing shear modulus of the SG-interlayer. Furthermore, the load-displacement response from the numerical model is predicting experimental observations very well. However, the crack pattern resulting from the numerical model is not matching the experimental observations. Further studies are thus needed to fully understand the mechanisms involved in the structural behaviour of SGlaminated reinforced glass beams.