Glass Columns under Impact - Experimental and Numerical Analyses

Compared to traditional construction materials, structural glass members subjected to main compression are relatively unusual in buildings, despite a substantially high material compressive strength. The major limit for the use of glass columns is in fact represented by an overall residual load-bearing capacity highly affected by the tensile brittle fracture of glass. An optimal and fail-safe design approach, in this regard, should take care of a multitude of geometrical and mechanical aspects, including boundary details and possible defects, as well as accidental loading scenarios. Aiming to assess the feasibility and vulnerability of structural glass members, based on earlier research efforts, the paper deals on the load-bearing performance of a reference set of full-scale glass columns. Careful consideration is in fact paid for the experimental investigation of glass members with square hollow cross-section and subjected to dynamic impacts, being representative of an accidental loading scenario. Full-scale experimental results are presented, as well as further considered for validation and calibration of Finite Element (FE) numerical models accounting for possible damage propagation in all the structural components, hence allowing to assess the residual load-bearing capacity of the examined structural typology.