Advanced computational methods of perpendicularly loaded laminated glass panes

Various examples of glass load bearing structures such as beams, columns, panes, or even stairs are used in a current architecture. For safety reasons, these members are mostly made of laminated glass. Polymeric interlayers are used for glass plates bonding and their shear stiffness, as a time-temperature dependent parameter, meaningly influences the response of the entire perpendicularly loaded laminated glass pane. Even though the shear stiffness of the interlayer is available, the exact stress-state analysis of the pane is rather challenging. This paper compares the results of perpendicularly loaded double laminated glass panes at various boundary conditions, calculated by current advanced analytical methods and by the draft of the European standard prEN 16612 to the numerical simulation performed in RFEM 5®. Important differences between these methods are illustrated. Futher recommendations for a design of these structures in practice are also provided.