Calibration of Design Buckling Curves for Lateral-Torsional Buckling of Cantilever Beams Made of Glass—Experimental and Numerical Investigations

Abstract

Using glass as a primary load-carrying element is becoming more and more popular in architecture. Probably the most used application is the single-span girder, but another important system is the cantilever beam, which is widely used, e.g., as a canopy in front of an entrance. Research on the lateral-torsional buckling behavior of glass beams has been typically performed on single-span girders. As a consequence, the design buckling curves provided in literature are usually too conservative for the widely used case of a cantilever beam, which is also related to the loading situation. Therefore, experimental and numerical investigations have been performed for this special case. Based on the obtained results, design buckling curves have been developed and resulted in being more economical than the curves already given in the literature. Among others, information on the shape and size of the real imperfections, a testing device for cantilever beams, and experimentally and numerically obtained load-deflection curves are additional outcomes of the investigations presented here.