Design, Engineering and Experimental Testing of Tubular Glass Columns

This research revolves around the design, fabrication and testing of tubular glass columns, with particular focus on their redundancy and fire-safety mechanisms; moreover, addressing aspects such as: the column shape; cleaning and maintenance; end connections; geometric tolerances in the glass and demountability. Two alternative circular hollow ...

The Structural Behaviour of Bundled Glass Columns: Finite Element Modelling and Experimental Validation

Researchers of TU Delft have been designing and engineering with columns created out of multiple glass rods that are bundled together to form a single column. These aesthetically attractive and slender columns were tested to ensure safety before implementation in the real structure: the Glass Truss Bridge located at the campus of the university....

Shaping transparent sand in sand: Fabricating topologically optimised cast glass column using sand moulds

This research investigates the potential of 3D printed sand moulds for casting structural glass column having optimised cross section. Conventionally, Glass, in architectural industry, has been used in form of sheets (Float glass) due to ease of fabrication of planar sheets, but in last few years, cast glass bricks have been used for creating...

A structural concept for a demountable glass column: An explorative design study about interlocking, laminated glass components

The high compressive strength of the material glass in combination with its transparency, make it an attractive material to use for a column. Though different types and configurations of glass columns have been subject of academic research, a demountable glass column made from laminated components remains unexplored. This structural concept...

The Stackable Glass Column

In 1942 cast glass columns weredesigned in the Danteum by GiuseppeTerragni. But due to the annealing timeof large glass pieces, these have neverbeen produced. Now, more than 75years later, a new type of cast glasscolumn will be designed. This time, thedesign is made out of interlocking drystacked cast glass components.Glass is a strong yet...

Glass columns: Structural analysis on replacing existing columns with glass

Not many glass columns exists in the world, and especially used for buildings. Safety and mass manufacturing is a problem. How can you make sure that a glass column is safe even enough for the public and in what way can it been manufactured? These are two of the seven problems I am faced with during my research. The purpose of this thesis is to...

Design and experimental testing of the bundled glass column

Engineering the bundled glass column: From the design concept to full-scale experimental testing

This article gives an overview of the research conducted by the authors from the design concept to the engineering and full-scale testing of the bundled glass column. Consisting of adhesively bonded solid glass rods, the bundled column is a promising solution for transparent compressive members. To investigate the feasibility of the bundled...

Design and experimental testing of the bundled glass column

Glass columns are a promising solution for transparent structural members, capable of transferring the compressive loads in a building while allowing for light and space continuity. Several different types of all-glass columns have been explored in the past, nevertheless, they are seldom applied in construction. Reasons include complications in...

Developing the bundled glass column

In this paper a bundled glass column is presented as a promising solution for a completely transparent, almost dematerialized structural compressive element. The aim is to ob-tain a glass column that can safely carry loads, achieve a high visual result and be relatively eas-ily manufactured. Different types of adhesives, rod configurations and...

Glass Columns, exploring the potential of free standing glass columns assembled from stacked cast elements

Extensive research shows that not many examples exist regarding glass columns and the main reason is that safety is difficult to guarantee in a design. Recent technologies however have now created sufficient boundary conditions to provide this safety in a design. Two glass columns have therefore been designed to replace the concrete pillars...