Full-scale tests of glass plate under fluctuating wind loads

The effects of pressure on glass strength have been a basis for determining glass panel strength for a long time. However, experimental studies on this topic have been limited to the application of rather simple loading patterns. Moreover, there is doubt as to whether important characteristics of fluctuating loads on glass strength are sufficiently reflected in the current glass design practice. Unprecedented full-scale glass plate breakage tests under realistic wind pressure loading were conducted to investigate these issues. The results obtained revealed new information about the behavior of glass plates under fluctuating loads, and confirmed the validity of Brown's integral, which has been widely used for the study of glass strength. Along with these tests, a numerical simulation using the Monte Carlo technique was also performed with a subtle modification on the initial glass strength, and resulted in a better correspondence with test results.