Deflections and Stresses in Rectangular, Circular and Elliptical Insulating Glass Units

Abstract

Insulating glass units (IGUs) are construction elements that react to climatic loads in a specific way. Under the influence of changes in atmospheric pressure and temperature, as well as the effect of wind, the gas closed in the tight gap between the glass panes changes its pressure, which affects the resulting static quantities of the loaded IGUs. The calculation models described in the literature mostly concern rectangular units, however, other shapes are being implemented more and more often in modern architecture. The aim of the article was to propose analytical and numerical models of circular and elliptical IGUs and to compare their results in terms of deflections and stresses with static values for square and rectangular units. Calculation examples were presented for various dimensions of IGUs loaded with changes in atmospheric pressure and an external wind effect. For elliptical IGUs, only the numerical calculations were presented, as it is not possible to formulate an applicable deflection function practically. The results were summarized in the form of tables and graphs, which illustrate the percentage differences between the deflection and stress values for the rectilinear and curvilinear shapes of IGUs for various dimensions and types of loads. It was found that in a single circular glass pane the maximum deflection is 4.2% greater, and the maximum stress is 13% greater than in a square unit of the same dimension. Meanwhile, in a circular, symmetrically loaded double-glazed IGU, the deflection in the circular IGU is smaller by 8–9% than in the square unit and the stress is practically identical.

Experimental and Numerical Simulations of Climatic Loads in Insulating Glass Units by Controlled Change of Pressure in the Gap

“…Taking into account the sensitivity of deformation and the pressure difference in the gap to the linear dimensions of IGUs described in [8,9], it was found that the use of too large a sample was not justified. This was because as the linear dimensions increase there is a significant gas interaction, which requires a large amount of injected gas to cause a significant deflection of the panes and induce stress in the glass.…”

“…Curcija and Vidanovic [11] proposed a model for calculating deflection in multi-glazed IGUs based on numerical solutions of systems of equations. A numerically validated model for calculating static values in rectangular and circular IGUs was proposed by Respondek et al [8,9]. Stratiy [6] presented an analytical and numerical model for estimating the deflection in a double-glazed IGU, also in the range of large deflections.…”

“…Sielicki et al [19] numerically investigated triple glass units to assess their performance under explosive loading. Circular and elliptical IGUs were investigated numerically in [9]. In the article [20], the influence of large deflections on the load distribution and the possible reduction of the thickness of glass used in IGUs on cruise ships was investigated numerically.…”

“…The volume change resulting from the panes' deflection generates a pressure change in the gaps, whereby the external climatic load is partly reduced [3,4,7]. Thus, each IGU component pane is affected by the accompanying load resulting from the state of temporary equilibrium between the external climatic conditions and the gas pressure in the gap [8,9].…”

In situ detection of product age and argon concentration as measure of the re-use potential of insulating glass units in buildings

“…It may cause a smaller cavity width than near the spacer where the glass is clamped. The shape, size and thickness of the glass will also influence the bending of a glass pane (Feldmeier et al 1984;Buddenberg et al 2016;Respondek et al 2022). To minimize the effect of variation in cavity width due to bending of glass panes, a fixed measuring position in the lower area of the IGU is recommended.…”