Design and Experimental Testing of All Glass Sandwich Panels: An Experimental and Numerical Study for the Glass Floors of the Acropolis Museum

Abstract

This paper describes the engineering steps taken in order to investigate the potential of glass sandwich elements, made of 2 glass skins separated by a glass core in the form of spacers, as a way to create planar elements with a high stiffness to weight ratio, reducing material consumption in structural glazing applications. The aim is to explore and evaluate the optical quality and the structural performance of those elements. In this research, 7 core topologies are explored in order to define which parameters influence the behaviour of a sandwich structure made completely with glass. From those topologies, one is chosen to be explored further. The said topology is optimised to make the panels more efficient in terms of stiffness and weight reduction. In order to determine the structural behaviour (strength, stiffness, failure modes) of the elements, 4-point bending tests are conducted on 9 specimens in total. Finally, in order to define the aesthetical and structural requirements of such a project, the replacement of the glass floors of the Acropolis Museum in Athens in Greece is used as a case study. The knowledge acquired through this process is used to optimise the panels of the new glass floors taking also into account other parameters related to transparent flooring e.g. optical quality, psychological factors, anti-slip resistance etc