Material characterization for laminated glass composite panel

Abstract

Purpose: Laminated glass composite panel (LGCP) with at least one flexible plastic/ viscoelastic interlayer is considered. The purpose of this paper is to determine the material properties of the constituents of LGCP required for accurate modelling of the laminated glass structures. Design/methodology/approach: The proposed approach includes the following three type of tests: non-destructive tests for determining mechanical properties of the glass layers (based on wave propagation), mechanical tests and finite element simulations for determining properties of the interlayers, measuring residual stresses in glass layers using novel methods and equipment (non-destructive, wave propagation based). Findings: Methodology and procedures for determining material properties of the LGCP. Research limitations/implications: Due to fact that the shear moduli of the viscoelastic interlayers and glass skin layers differs up to thousands times, the direct application of the classical sandwich theory may lead to inaccurate results. The layer wise plate theory with viscoelastic interlayer should be applied. In the case of layer wise theory, the material properties should be determined for each layer (not averaged properties for laminate only). Practical implications: The proposed approach allows to determine the properties of the LGCP components with high accuracy and form base for development of accurate plate model for modelling vibration, buckling and bending of the LGCP. The effect of the residual stresses is most commonly omitted in engineering applications. However, in the case of tempered glass the residual stresses are significant and have obviously impact on stress- strain behaviour of the laminated glass panel. Originality/value: Study consists of valuable parts, i.e. determining residual stresses in glass performed in cooperation with private company GlasStress Ltd. Special software and measuring equipment are developed. Further LGCP interlayer mechanical properties are tested experimentally and using simulation tools for design optimization purposes.