Flexible thin-glass IGU

Design and testing of an IGU with chemically strengthened thin-glass and a flexible spacer for increasing cold bending curvature.

Master Thesis (2025)
Author(s)

K.C. van Deurzen (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)

Contributor(s)

M. Overend – Mentor (TU Delft - Structures & Materials)

M. Bilow – Mentor (TU Delft - Building Design & Technology)

W. Willers – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Heritage & Architecture)

Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
More Info
expand_more
Publication Year
2025
Language
English
Graduation Date
09-07-2025
Awarding Institution
Delft University of Technology
Programme
['Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Building Technology']
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Abstract

This thesis explores the feasibility of constructing a flexible insulated glazing unit (IGU) using chemically strengthened thin-glass to enable higher cold bending curvatures. The research focuses on identifying optimal material combinations and structural configurations to accommodate significant deformation without compromising integrity. Both numerical modelling and physical testing were employed. In the absence of sufficient data, material properties were experimentally derived to enhance model accuracy. Strain gauges were used to validate simulations against real-world tests. Findings demonstrate that a thin-glass IGU can endure corner deformations of up to 16.3 cm, offering a performance enhancement of 4.2 times over traditional fully tempered glass units. These panels have a curvature constant of 0.112. A case study is performed to investigate how well the panels would perform in a real situation.

Files

License info not available
License info not available
Master_Thesis_P5.pdf
(pdf | 35.5 Mb)
License info not available