METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS OF THE SERIES P-2 GLASS SLABS DURABILITY TEST

Abstract

The paper presents the results of studies of glass plates of series P-2 for durability, which were made of float glass sheets, the methodology of experimental studies of glass plates for durability, as well as the design of the test facility. The analysis of literature sources on the subject made it possible to study the main factors of application of glass slabs as load-bearing structures. Glass is characterized by high strength, but glass structures are not widely used because of the possibility of their sudden brittle fracture and the lack of reliable calculation methods. The strength and reliability of glass structures depend on the type and strength of glass, manufacturing technology, the magnitude of external load and the duration of its action. Glass structures are characterized by the phenomenon of rheology and sudden brittle fracture, so the study of their durability, at different levels of external static load will ensure their reliable operation for the required time. Durability of a structure is the time from the beginning of static load action, which does not exceed the destructive load, with its further endurance until the destruction of the structure. For experimental studies of the durability of glass slabs, there was a need to create a research technique to ensure the stability of the external static load during the entire experiment with the possibility to record the growth of the deflection of the glass slab, the time and the nature of the failure up to the very moment of their sudden brittle failure. The paper describes the methodology and presents the initial results of the experimental study of glass beam slabs for durability. The slabs were hinged to two supports and operated as a single-span beam under a steady static load. Based on the experimental data obtained on the fracture of glass slabs during the action of a steady static load, we can try to predict their durability.