Building The Shard, London Bridge

This research deals with the buckling behaviour of laminated glass(two layers of glass joined by an elastomeric interlayer to form a unit). In particular, the paper is devoted to the geometrically nonlinear behaviour of unidirectional elements. The research included a theoretical analysis, which developed a mathematical model for determining the critical load, and experiments, which were conducted on laminated glass subjected to compressive loads. The test stage carried out a range of experimental work on 52 laminated glass specimens differing in glass type and geometry that were subjected to axial compressive force up to collapse. Different loading rates were adopted to test the role of the viscoelastic interlayer. The theoretical stage developed an analytical closed-form model that predicts the exact critical load of onedimensional members made of laminated glass. The paper shows the experimentation, the model, the simulations of the tests with the model, and a theoretical analysis of products available in the architectural glass marketplace that encompasses glass structural applications. The results show the role of lamination on buckling and provide rules in order to use laminated glass for compressive elements. Paolo Foraboschi Professor, Dipartimento di Costruzione dell'Architettura — Universita IUAV di Venezia