This research investigates the structural performance of thin glass composite panels with additively manufactured core structures. Based on the sandwich theory, this novel type of glass construction promises a very light but stiff façade element. It provides high potential to safe resources, energy and emission during production and offers new architectural design possibilities.
However, predicting the mechanical response to external loads, such as wind or snow, is a challenge due to the versatile geometry and anisotropy, multiple design options and the variety of materials used. This research focuses on the analytical and experimental assessment of thin glass composite panels during four-point bending. The displacement applied with this method leads to a total deformation in order to evaluate the overall stiffness of the composite panel. In accordance with the structural configuration of the test setup, deformation components of pure bending between the load rollers and deformation components of pure shear outside the support rollers are investigated. Three variations of core thickness are investigated within the experimental test series and compared to the analytical results. In addition, an analytical parameter study is performed to determine the significance of certain parameters such as material and geometric stiffness of the components.