Structural Performance of Ordinary and Laminated Glass during Fire Exposure

Façade and glazing elements constitute the skin of buildings. They are the interface between the inside and outside environment. Glass has low fire resistance and can quickly break during fire events. This creates new vents, which increase the oxygen supply and promote the flashover phenomenon. Existing methods for evaluating the structural fire safety of glass require expensive experimental tests or extensive knowledge of finite element (FE) modeling. This research provides simplified, rational, and reliable methods to assess the behavior of ordinary and laminated glass panels during fire exposure. The proposed methods provide the means to determine the glass temperature and its maximum thermal stress during fire exposure. These methods can be utilized by structural engineers, while designing buildings using performance-based design criteria