Analysis of bending stiffness of composite timber-glass beams

Sammanfattning

Engineers and architects have always been looking for new ways to remove the bound between structures and nature which led to the usage of glass and wood combinations as a structural member in glass ceilings, walls, or balconies. The combination of glass and wood has always been used as a non-load bearing member or for its design purposes in the past. Glass is primarily used as windows currently, but today, due to the improvement of technology and the need for new elements, it is used in different combinations such as timber-glass composites and Translucent Concrete elements. Due to the fact that wood solely can be used as a structural member in buildings, and relying on the acceptable physical properties of wood, it can be used in modern and tall buildings and structures. In modern structures, glass is also used for optimal use of space and communication with the exterior of the building. Does the combination of these two materials and the construction of roofs or columns and composite beams have sufficient load-bearing capacity and are stiff enough? In this thesis, the possibilities and limitations of new materials in beams are examined to create a more sustainable design both in the interior design and the structural value of a building. A combination of wood and glass in composite beams will be examined to define their load-bearing capacity and bending strength through-loading tests. The results will be compared with FEM simulations using Abaqus software and beam simulation to be able to provide good results for this combination.