Dissertation Volker Prautzsch - Transparent geklebte Glas-Rahmenecken

The use of glass beams in transparent roofs and glass fins as part of the facade is already state-of-the-art construction to achieve a transparent and lightweight appearance. Until now, mechanical fasteners made from stainless steel are used to join these structural components. Those fasteners visually interfere, require holes in the glass and cause unfavorable stress peaks in the glass. In contrast, adhesive bonding is much more appropriate to join the brittle material glass. The subject of this dissertation is the study of a planar adhesive joint which transfers the load between the load-bearing glass components into the primary structure. With a relatively large layer thickness, the manufacturing of the transparent joint represents a major challenge. Furthermore, the aging resistance and the load-bearing capacity must be proven. A selection of 14 potentially suitable, transparent adhesives of acrylate, epoxy resin and polyurethane are tested for temperature-depending material properties. These tests are based on thermo-mechanical and mechanical test methods. In addition, the long-term durability of the adhesives is verified by artificial aging test on bonded specimens. Subsequently, the photometric characteristics and the visual quality of the samples are assessed. As the result an UVand lightcuring acrylate adhesive is identified as particularly suitable. Compression shear tests under temperature and aging influences as well as creep tests are performed on substance samples and small-scale specimens to determine the adhesive strength of this adhesive. A suitable application and curing process is developed for use in planar bonded joints. Tests on specimen components were carried out to determine the load-bearing capacity of the bonded glass frame corners. In these experiments, the glass fails while the adhesive joint remains intact. Creep test are used to record the creep deformation of component specimen at increased temperature. Accompanying the study, several building projects are realized to use adhesive bonding technology in all-glass constructions. Without any visible forms of connection, the glass construction represents a significant innovation in Germany in terms of both building legislation and building technology. It ́s the first time, glass fins and glass beams are joint to a glass primary structural system via transparent acrylate adhesive. The connection method is based on the findings of the present study. The glass panels of the envelope are joined to the primary glass structure with an approved silicone adhesive. Two of the described construction projects are monitored to obtain further knowledge about the long-term behaviour of the bonded joints. The comprehensive studies of this thesis as well as the ongoing monitoring have proven the significance and the reliability of transparent, load-bearing bonded joints in the field of glass construction.