Glass Sandwich Panel

Abstract

Transparency is embraced more and more in contemporary architecture and therefore glass has become one of the most important materials in the building industry. In structural glass applications the elements are dimensioned based on stiffness and strength requirements. This research investigates the potential of glass sandwich structures as a way to create planar elements with a high stiffness to weight ratio and reduce material consumption in structural glazing applications. The design focuses on the replacement of the glass floors of the Acropolis Museum in Athens with an aim to a)reduce material consumption, b)eliminate the supporting substructure and c)propose an optimised design. 7 different core topologies are designed and tested by means of a 4-point bending test in a way to assess the optical quality of such structures, showcase their potential and finally assess which configuration is the most suitable to be used in the aforementioned application. The topology that fulfills the structural and aesthetical requirements is furtherly investigated and its structural behaviour is “deconstructed”. The knowledge acquired through this process is used to optimise structurally and aesthetically the panels of the new glass floors.. Finally, a design toolbox is devised which constists of three phases: a)graphical/analytical calculations (predimensioning), b)Finite Elements Analysis (detailed calculation) and c)Bending Tests (evaluation). In general, this research proves the advantage of glass sandwich structures over laminated glass in stiffnes-dominated designs but also discusses the importance of integrating the process of selective distraction into the design.