Numerical prediction of dynamic fracture strength of edge-mounted non-symmetric tempered glass panels under steel ball drop impact

Abstract

Despite the well-known effects of loading rate and specimen size on glass strength, the fracture criterion of products containing tempered glass panels (TGPs) has been established based on the static fracture strength (SFS) of a standard-sized TGP due to procedural difficulties in determining large scale dynamic fracture strength (DFS). This impractical fracture criterion that has universally been adopted in industrial fields results in a use of excessive safety factor in product design and development process. In this work, large scale DFS of full-edge mounted TGPs is numerically predicted using ball drop impact (BDI) simulation, which realize in-service dynamic loading conditions and constraints. The numerical prediction results were verified by a remarkable correlation with a deformation deviation of 1.0–5.0% and stress deviation within about 6.9% comparing to BDI fracture test results. It was found that the average DFS derived in the practical BDI condition was 2.0 times higher than the average SFS derived in standard flexural test condition. We believe this study contributes to setting more efficient fracture criterion when designing or developing products in which TGPs are mounted, with emphasizing difference in glass strength derived from the in-service conditions and the standard test conditions.