Modern architecture deals with large glass elements in the building façades. At the same time, higher demands on the building envelope leads to an increase of the material with larger nominal thickness and higher dead load of laminated safety glass. In this context, the vision of self-adjusting intelligent façades as polyvalent wall is nowadays still unreached. The combination of brittle thin glass with ductile polycarbonate as a composite panel leads to a serious and innovative alternative for laminated safety glass with the simultaneously activation of several demands to implement the approach of this vision. This study focuses on several studies of thin glass-polycarbonate composite panels. The research of the combination shows results of test methods for durability and mechanical strength according to the standard methods for laminated safety glass. The quality of lamination is analysed with the four-point bending test. Furthermore, the investigation of the heat and noise protection is done and compared to common single and double insulated glazing. In addition, the resistance class against manual attack is analysed. Finally, the determination of luminous and solar characteristics completes the potential of this multi-layered laminate and leads to a statement about further research topics of the composite panel as adaptive glazing. Thus, the study shows the current results of several research projects at Universität Siegen.
Sebastián Andrés López
Potential of thin glass-polycarbonate composite panels
Company: Institute of Strucutral Design | Universität Siegen, Siegen, Germany
About the speaker:
Sebastián Andrés López studied civil engineering at Technische Universität Darmstadt. During his studies he worked as student assistant for Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau AG and osd GmbH & Co. KG. Since his master degree in 2015 he is research assistant on the Institute of Structural Design of Universität Siegen. His research focuses on the lamination of different materials as a laminated safety glass with enhanced properties in case of security. His current research project deals with adaptive thin glass-polycarbonate composite panels.