Experimental analysis on the glass-interlayer system in glass masonry arches

In the last decade there has been an increased usage of cast glass as structural element. Within this respect, a 14 m span glass masonry arch bridge is planned to be constructed at the TU Delft Campus. This paper focuses on part of the experimental analysis that was executed to develop the concept of this bridge. Since it is an arch, the applied loads will be transferred as compressive forces, hence the suitability of glass. Adhesive bonding is not required, since the arch is in compression under its own weight. Application of cast glass bricks in a bridge is a new concept, therefore several aspects with respect to the structural behavior are unknown. Two experimental tests are presented in this paper. First, an experiment with a stacked glass column with varying interlayers is loaded to investigate the stiffness of the interlayer. For PVC interlayers the time-dependent behavior is significant, whereas for polyurethane it is minimal. Furthermore the interlayer’s equivalent modulus of elasticity is dependent on the thickness, due to a difference in the occurring contact areas. Second, a small-scale glass masonry arch is loaded till collapse to investigate the failure behavior and the stresses distribution. It was concluded that a certain robustness is present in the system. Furthermore the brick geometry and the occurrence of sliding are the main aspects that determine the stress distribution. Therewith a stiffer interlayer results in higher stresses in the glass.