The effect of adhesive joints on the performance of hybrid steel-glass beams – An analytical and experimental study

The aim of the present paper is a preliminary assessment and critical discussion of full-scale experimental test results recently obtained for hybrid steel-glass beams composed of a laminated glass web and steel flanges, based on the analytical Möhler method. As known, the structural response of this typology of hybrid solutions markedly depends on the stiffness and resistance of all its components, and specifically the connection, which act as a flexible shear bonding layer between the glass web and the steel flanges. Therefore, the appropriate mechanical calibration of the component materials is mandatory for accurate calculations. In order to fully characterize the used adhesive, push-out shear tests and simple shear tests were performed on small specimens. The results obtained from these small specimens are then implemented as main input mechanical parameters for the analytical model, so that this latter could be applied to the full-scale tests in view of comparative analyses. As shown, due to accurate estimation of the main mechanical properties of the adhesive layers, the presented analytical method provides rather accurate results for the examined full-scale hybrid beams, hence suggesting its application for practical calculations and pre-design considerations.