Failure analysis of tempered glass structures with pin-loaded Joints

Pin-loaded joints are frequently used to assemble tempered glass plates. To prevent such structures from fracture, a holed glass plate is reinforced by a steel ring and glued to it through a soft resin layer. The present work first models and identifies the mechanical behaviour of the constituent materials and then analyzes the failure process of tempered glass structures with pin-loaded joints, in which unilateral contact, friction, damage and residual stresses are involved. The numerical results obtained by the finite element method are in good agreement with the experimental ones issuing from the real size test. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.