Toolbox for glass design

cenews.com/article/9779/toolbox-for-glass-design
June 2014 Feature Articles Materials
The structural engineers perspective
Nicholas G. Cramsey, P.E., S.E., and Matthew Johnson, P.E.
Structural glazed, structural steel mullioned, 85-foot-tall, faceted curtain wall in Boston.
The proliferation of engineering materials, material-specific technical organizations, and manufacturers
results in the proliferation of codes, technical standards, and design guides available to the practicing
engineer. Information is everything, and it sure can be frustrating if you dont have it. Glass engineering
is one material niche of structural engineering where it can seem like the useful information you need
for guidance is decentralized and hard to access. Similar to structural steel in the early 20th century,
much of the information related to glass design is contained within documents published by several
different organizations or industry groups, so there isnt a one-stop shop for guidance such as the
Steel Manual. Adding to the mystery of glass design is the limited use of glass as a structural material
and the dearth of university curriculums that focus on glass design.
The primary and prevalent materials in the structural engineers toolbox have well-defined strength and
ductile properties either by the nature of the material (e.g. structural steel) or the combination of
materials in composite construction (e.g. reinforced concrete). At the connection detail level, these
primary materials can accommodate material yielding associated with locally high connection stresses.
These primary materials benefit from near constant academic and industry study and regularly updated
material standards.
Glass, on the other hand, is a brittle material with strength significantly influenced by its manufacturing
process and material variability from manufacturer to manufacturer. Further, local residual stress or
manufacturing defects in the glazing (nickel sulfide/cats eyes) and local stress concentrations related
to connection detailing can have significant influence on the structural design and related reliability of
glass in structural applications.
MBTA Kenmore Square bus station
canopy in Boston.
Over many years as practicing structural
engineers, weve worked on a variety of
projects requiring some aspect of glass
engineering. Drawing from our
experiences and the experience of our
many colleagues, we developed what
we affectionately call our glass toolbox.
The toolbox is a compilation of design
guides, reference standards, industry
literature, and building codes that are
pertinent, and in most cases necessary,
for appropriate glass structural analysis
and design.
Consider this toolbox as a starters guide. Be mindful that as practicing structural engineers, the
documents we present are valuable tools for evaluating the structural performance of glass faades
and their components. When integrating glass into the building enclosure, additional guides, technical
standards, and codes may be required to achieve the intended performance of the overall assembly.
Glass Association of North America (GANA) Glazing Manual
The GANA Glazing Manual provides a vast array of information on standard construction practices for
glazing and the structural support of glass. GANA defines typical important terms (such as annealed,
heat-strengthened, and fully-tempered glass; wet-glazed and dry-glazed systems; and describes
different glass configurations including single-glazed, laminated, double-glazed, and insulated) and
provides a concise history and background of glass as a construction material.
The manual also presents the practice of isolating glass from harder adjacent materials, an important
consideration for glass design for reducing stress concentrations that may cause fracture. GANA
discusses proper placement, hardness, and related material information for materials used as glass
isolators. A concise discussion on the structural performance of glass and accepted glass design
methodology is included. GANA provides information on loading too, but local building code
requirements generally govern for specific loading information.
ASTM E1300 Standard Practice for Determining Load Resistance of Glass in Buildings
ASTM E1300 is the predominant reference standard for glass analysis and design in the U.S. ASTM
E1300 includes design charts used to determine out-of-plane load resistance and maximum deflections
for orthogonal glass panels. The design charts are relatively versatile and can be used for different-
sized panels, with some limitations for panel width and length. E1300 is applicable to assemblies
containing single, double, or triple-glazed lites. It is important to understand that the design charts are
calibrated for orthogonal panels that are uniformly loaded perpendicular to the plane of glazing over
their entire surface and are perimeter-supported along some or all edges.
The appendices to ASTM E1300 include information one would need for a rigorous analysis of glass
panels that are outside the scope and limitations of the body of the standard. The more rigorous
analysis usually involves finite element analysis of the glazing and glazing assembly to assess overall
stresses and local stress concentrations. The appendices provide guidance on allowable glass edge
stresses for annealed and heat-treated glass based on varying probabilities of glass breakage,
guidance on calculating semi-composite thicknesses for laminated assemblies, and procedures for
calculating center of glass deflections.
Examples of details that require more rigorous analysis include loading other than uniform loading,
point-supported glazing assemblies, and/or non-orthogonal glass lites. Most commercially available,
general purpose finite element programs can be used for a rigorous analysis. Glass-specific analysis
programs such as Windows Glass Design, a design aid specific to ASTM E1300, SJ Mepla, and Mepla
Iso are available as well.
Finite element model force flow
adjacent to hole in glass.
Product manufacturer data
Laminated glass is two lites of glass
joined to opposite sides of a non-glass
layer, or interlayer. Interlayer mechanical
behavior is temperature- and time-
dependent. Manufacturers will provide
the information required for design.
ASTM E1300, Appendix X11, is one
example of where the interlayer information is required. All of the charts in ASTM E1300 for laminated
glass are based on a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer, which is a very common interlayer but not the
only option. Other interlayers are used for specific applications, such as for added safety due to impact
in hurricane-prone regions or for glazing designed for blast resistance.
Insulated glass unit manufacturers provide information on energy performance of insulated and non-
insulated glass, fabrication and application limitations such as panel size restrictions or minimum
spacer size, and architectural options for glass such as fritting, spandrel glass, float glass colors/tints,
and related items.
Additionally, manufacturers are generally able to provide technical guidance for structural silicone
sealant, which is used in wet-glazed glass-faade systems. One such example is Dow Cornings
Technical Manual, which includes allowable short- and long-term stresses for their structural silicone
products. They also provide allowable shear distortions that are used to verify that differential
expansion and contraction of the glass faade components due to temperature fluctuations or other
factors are within allowable limits. Lastly, Dow Cornings manual presents industry standard
nomenclature (i.e., structural bite, glueline thickness, which describe the bead of silicone that
structurally attaches the glass to support frame), and installation procedures for their products.
Glass fabricators such as Viracon provide guidance on installing their products in literature available
online or in printed form by request.
International Building Code
All structural engineers should know that Chapter 16 of the IBC contains important information on
structural design loads. The loads from the IBC are equally applicable to the structural design of glass
used in interior and exterior applications. Chapter 16 also provides guidance for deflection limits of
exterior walls.
Many structural engineers should also be familiar with the subsequent material-specific chapters of the
IBC. In addition to the more typical concrete (Chapter 19), steel (Chapter 22), and wood (Chapter 23),
Chapter 24, Glass and Glazing, includes criteria for glass analysis and design and guidance on
stiffness requirements for framing supporting glass. Further, Chapter 24 defines safety glazing,
compliance standards for safety glazing, and where safety glazing is required. Additionally,
requirements for skylights and glass used in handrails are included in Chapter 24.
ASCE 7 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures
The IBC references ASCE 7 for additional loading information. ASCE 7, among other things, contains
wind loads for components and cladding, and seismic loads for non-structural components, which
typically includes glass in the faade. Chapter 13, Seismic Design Requirements for Non-Structural
Components, contains provisions for faade anchorage and defines base building structure relative
displacements that faades must be able to accommodate. Additional chapters of ASCE 7 include rain
loads, ponding effects, snow loads, drifting snow, and ice loads, which are other common
considerations for glass design.
Glass faade support framing and corrosion
Since glass faades are almost always at the building envelope, consideration of the exposure of the
support framing components to the exterior environment is paramount. Any reference on corrosion
(specifically one with galvanic series information) gives guidance on the interaction of metals in exterior
environments.
Summary
It is important to note that many of the documents described above include other requirements in
addition to purely structural design requirements that must be considered in glass engineering design
and detailing such as waterproofing, fire resistance, sound transmission, and energy efficiency. This
article is constricted to a brief summary of the guidance the listed documents provide for structural
analysis and design.
Nicholas G. Cramsey, P.E., S.E., is senior staff engineer at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger in New York
City. Contact him at ngcramsey@sgh.com.
Matthew Johnson, P.E., is a principal and the head of Simpson Gumpertz & Hegers new Chicago
office. Contact him at mhjohnson@sgh.com.