The increased thermal performance of a structural cast glass brick wall

In the current built environment, the three main glass elements are glass window blocks, (structural) float glass and (structural) glass bricks. Float glass is the most used type of glass element and it is evolving from a skin material to a structural material. Glass hollow blocks became popular in the 1930s, but have lost their appeal due to...

Structural dynamic response of the Glass Truss Bridge

Bridges are exposed to dynamic forces – such as pedestrians crossing a bridge or the wind force acting on a bridge – which cause vibration of the structure. When a structure is forced at one of its eigenfrequencies it deforms into a corresponding shape leading to major deformations, which, in the worst-case scenario, can lead to collapse of the...

Glass Flood Defences: A theoretical and practical assessment of the impact resistance of Glass Flood Defences to floating debris

In the far south of the Netherlands, the erratic river Meuse flows through the landscape. It recently flooded twice in the 1990s, causing much economical damage. Emergency measures, such as a demountable flood wall, were taken to prevent future flooding. And while this solution was to the liking of the inhabitants, the update in the flood safety...

Structural consolidation of historic monuments by interlocking cast glass components: A computational analysis of interlocking cast glass brickwork

The search for a transparent, reversible, and reusable consolidation system for monuments led to the ambition to test possible cast glass interlocking brick designs using numerical calculations. The focus of this research is hence the design, simulation and evaluation of a possible cast glass interlocking geometry using Finite Element Analysis ...

Structural Aspects of an Arched Glass Masonry Bridge

The glass group of the TU Delft plans to realize a 14m span glass arched masonry bridge, yet no prescriptions are available on how to assess the structural safety of such a structure. Regulations and guidelines for structural glass relate to float glass elements and do not refer to structures of cast glass elements. In addition, to display the...

Connective opportunities of reinforced glass segments: Design and validation of an edge-integrated connection for glass beam segments

There are different options to obtain a structural glass beam with a span of more than 6 meters. One option is segmentation, which has many advantages compared with the other options. However, the choice for segmentation is often avoided, because of aesthetical reasons. Existing connections, even the most slender ones, result in a reduction of...

Structural Design of Glass Geometries

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the use and effects of advanced computational power in the structural design process of glass structures. This investigation resulted in the finding of the AE-model and AE-method which are be both extensively explained in the masters thesis Main Report. The AE-model, which is the abbreviation of Architect...