Pre-stressed glass roof system

Objectives and work programme

In modern architecture the desire for transparency and material reduction has led to increasingly lightweight and delicate facade and roof structures. This trend is realised with an increasing use of glass as a load-bearing component, although the use of a non-regulated construction material means that these are special structures and therefore require additional evidence for construction approval. The objective of the R&D project is to create glass roof system comprising of glass supports with pre-stressed reinforcement – a pre-stressed glass roof system – that fulfils the special technical and design-related requirements of all-glass structures.

The innovative aspect of the modular pre-stressed glass roof system is the increase in load-bearing capacity by way of external pre-stressing of the reinforcement. Like in pre-stressed concrete structures, this reinforcement by way of pre-stressing can help to increase the durability of such glass structures. Additionally, pre-stressing can be used to control the deformation of the support, allowing for the dead load deformation that occurs during construction to be counteracted in advance, for example. After investigating the fundamental principles with respect to the possible applications and the load situation, the appropriate materials can be selected and investigated experimentally. This will form the basis for the structural implementation of the concept. Extensive load-bearing capacity testing can be conducted on both critical sub-sections and entire components. The results are documented in a demonstrator. The research project forms the basis for positioning a new and innovative product on the market for transparent, load-bearing components.

Partners

KL-megla GmbH, Eitorf,
Thiele Glas Werk GmbH, Wermsdorf.