Shear-to-Moment Interaction in Glass Beams with Open Cross Sections

An experimental investigation regarding the flexural behavior of glass beams with a length of 1,200 mm and rectangular, T-shaped, or I-shaped cross sections is presented and discussed. T-shaped and I-shaped cross sections were obtained by assembling laminated glass (LG) panels of 200 mm depth and 12.76 mm thickness through an acrylic adhesive. Three specimens for each series investigated were tested in flexure, focusing on the flexural and shear response of beams through the determination of the load-deflection curves and crack patterns at rupture. The shear span to depth ratio a/d was 2.25, which is a very low value, and interaction of shear and bending moment occurred during the tests. An analytical model is presented for a preliminary design of composite glass beams. The model, able to predict the load-deflection response of the beam, includes limit states attributable to flexure, glass web crushing, and glue shear failure. The experimental data generated, confirmed by numerical analyses, show the effectiveness of the analytical model to reproduce experimental results.