Abstract
This paper deals with the application of the semi-probabilistic design concept (level I) of Eurocode 0 in order to calibrate partial safety factors for structural silicone sealants. In the first part of this article the current legal situation for the application of structural sealants in facades is described, where a new Eurocode-conform design concept is introduced and compared to existing design codes (ETAG 002) or national design protocols (DIBt concept). Basic background on semi-probabilistic modelling and the general framework for deriving partial material safety factors at a level I stage for structural sealants is given then. The main part of this publication is concerned with determining the specific partial material safety factors for DOWSIL 993 silicone using existing experimental data, which were obtained under the ETAG 002 testing protocol. It is found, that the correct level I calibration of that partial material safety factors are significantly lower compared to currently existing estimates and thus allow for a great optimization of structural sealant design situation with potentially high economical as well as sustainability benefits.
Highlights
Introduction and Current SituationModern glass façades are designed with a strong emphasis on a transparent appearance with minimal visibility of the supporting structures
Recent developments deal with so-called laminated joints, where either a puck is laminated into a Laminated Safety Glass (LSG) or something is hoof laminated onto a glass (Bedon and Santarsiero, 2018)
In order to enable an improved economic and more sustainable design of Structural Sealant Glazing (SSG) applications, this paper provides the derivation of partial safety factors for structural silicone sealants in accordance with DIN EN 1990 (2010), following the semiprobabilistic approach
Summary
Introduction and Current SituationModern glass façades are designed with a strong emphasis on a transparent appearance with minimal visibility of the supporting structures. There are two standards for dimensioning silicone adhesive joints in façades ETAG 002 (2012); ASTM C1401 (2002), which are common in practice all over the world Both design methods are based on a linear analysis of the geometric and the material behaviour and assume an even load distribution. The nominal stress is the support reaction force divided by the reference nominal sealant area, resulting in a very simple manual proof of calculation, often sarcastically referred to as the ’Mickey Mouse’ formula These two standards use a global safety concept to provide sufficient redundancy or safety in the design of the silicone adhesive joint so that modelling inaccuracies (load and constitutive behaviour), temperature, humidity and ageing effects (salt, detergents, SO2, UV) are covered.
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