EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON STIFFNESS DEGRADATION OF TEMPERED GLASS PLATE

Point-supported glass curtain is mainly subjected to periodically lateral wind pressure, and many tiny flaws can be found in the surface of the tempered glass panel which is one of the components of the curtain walls. These micro-cracks will propagate slowly under cyclic loading, which may lead to the fatigue failure of the tempered glass panel during its service life. A series of fatigue tests were performed on the tempered glass panel to investigate their fatigue performances under constant amplitude repeated loads. It was found that the stiffness of the tempered glass panel was degrading gradually due to the slow propagation of defects. Also, three stages were obvious in the process of the stiffness degradation. The results can give some useful references to the later study on the fatigue damage and life forecast of the tempered glass panel.