The use of Vacuum Insulated Glass (VIG) in retrofitting projects, particularly in heritage buildings, is rising steadily as the demand for energy efficiency in building lifecycles grows. Here, VIG offers low and stable U-values (0.3 – 0.7 W/(m²K)) and long-term durability while maintaining minimal changes in the overall heritage layout. Moreover, VIG presents significant advantages over conventional Insulated Glass Units (IGUs) in new construction projects, offering enhanced durability, a slender profile, and superior thermal performance. Its adaptability to diverse boundary conditions further underscores its potential as a high-performance glazing solution.
However, the wider adoption of VIG requires standardised design and analysis guidelines, particularly for temperature induced stress, as this is an inherent design challenge for VIG. While wind, snow, and even climatic loads for conventional insulating glass units are standardised in many regions, loads due to ambient temperature differences and solar radiation are not yet regulated in most countries. For VIG, the load case associated with ambient temperature differences lacks a clear definition and harmonization across Europe. Additionally, VIG remains an unregulated product, and a robust data foundation is needed before developing standards for these loads and the product itself.
This paper presents the design of a test setup for the experimental investigation into the temperature load of VIGs under specific boundary conditions. A preliminary study was performed to analyse temperature profiles, deformations, and stress distributions along the VIG during temperature load tests, with the primary objective of validating the test setup through comparison with results from numerical and analytical computations. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the challenges associated with establishing a reliable temperature test setup and provide insights into the thermomechanical behaviour of VIG under a temperature load. The study focuses on accurately defining the thermal load and implementing it within an experimental test setup. The evaluated data offers a comprehensive basis for refining temperature load testing methodologies, ultimately contributing to the development of design approaches that could inform future VIG design standards.