A finite difference method on crack resistance of reinforced glass beam with non-linear adhesive

Abstract

Reinforced glass beam (RG beam) is a type of structural glass member that has been developed in recent years. This RG beam consists of a glass beam to which reinforcement material, such as steel, is adhesively attached in the tensile side to improve crack resistance. The adhesive plays a critical role in the structural performance of RG beam. However, the effect of non-linear shear-slip behavior of the adhesive layer remains unclear and has been neglected in most previous studies, which can result in inaccurate estimations. To address this issue, this paper presents a finite difference model (FDM) that utilizes an explicit step-by-step method and trial-and-error iterative method for interfacial stress analysis. The model predicts the static structural response of a simply-supported RG beam that simulates the adhesive with non-linear stress-slip behavior. Furthermore, the model describes the adherend’s shear deformation in elastic. The FDM results are then compared with the finite element method (FEM), adopting discrete nonlinear connectors (springs) to simulate the adhesion, and available analytical methods. Detailed parametric studies are further conducted to investigate the influences of glass strength, load pattern, reinforcement ratio and height-to-span ratio for proposing design recommendations.