The need for architectural transparency increased the use of glass as structural and non-structural elements (e.g., beams, panels, plates, etc.). Moreover, when canopy and façade panels are employed, the supports are generally realized using small point-fixing steel hinges, which enhance the transparency of the elements bringing non-negligible structural problems. When these elements are employed, different glass plies are coupled together with a polymeric interlayer. The glass plies are subjected to a thermal process to improve their reliability and safety obtaining two different glass typologies: heat-strengthened and thermally toughened laminated glass plates. While in the elastic phase, both glasses perform the same way, the post-breakage response is different due to the very different fragmentations of the ply.
In this study, two full-scale laminated glass (LG) plates, with a global size (𝐿×𝐻) of 4000 mm × 2085 mm, and 2-ply of a nominal thickness of 10 mm, were experimentally and numerically investigated under uniform pressure. Different glass plies – heat-strengthened and thermally toughened, damage configurations in glass ply, as well as boundary conditions were considered. Different responses of each damage configuration were studied and discussed in this paper. The mechanical response of LG plates was analyzed to assess their elastic and post-failure behavior. The findings demonstrate that: (i) size effect has a great influence on the behavior of LG plates; (ii) the mechanical behavior of the plate is also affected by the location of fractures. This effect is particularly pronounced when the fracture occurs in the thermally toughened glass ply at the bottom of the laminated glass plate. This study advances the understanding of laminated glass behavior by integrating scale, and boundary conditions into a comprehensive analysis. Its findings enhance the design, reliability, and safety of LG in modern architectural applications, adding practical value to the field of structural glass research.