Investigation on flexural buckling of laminated glass columns under axial compression

Due to its relatively good safety performance and aesthetic benefits, laminated glass (LG) is increasingly being used as load-carrying members in modern buildings. This paper presents a study into one application scenario of structural LG subjected to axial compression. The aim of the study is to reveal the flexural buckling behavior of the LG columns made up of multi-layered annealed glass plies. The LG specimens respectively consisted of two, three and four plies of annealed glass, bonded together by two prominent types of adhesives. To reach the research aim, both full-scale tests and nonlinear numerical simulations were carried out. Based on the test and numerical results, the influences of interlayer type, laminate number, load duration and ambient temperature on the buckling resistance of the LG columns were studied in detail. In addition, the applicability of the so-called Southwell plot method for LG columns was examined and discussed. Subsequently a characteristic initial geometrical imperfection for LG columns made of annealed glass was suggested. Finally design buckling curves were proposed for LG columns carrying axial loads with the various durations in various ambient temperatures. The results obtained are expected to provide supplementary information that is currently lacking in existing literature.