The structural mechanics behavior of sealed insulating glass units

Aesthetically pleasing, glass sheathed buildings and insulating glass (IG) units have formed a combination that is at once attractive and efficient. The use of IG units has increased in all types of buildings construction. Typical IG units consist of two glass plates separated by a perimeter spacer of aluminum. The perimeter is then coated with a polymer sealant which seals the air between the glass plates and holds the unit together. Until recently, most IG units were designed on an experimental basis, primarily by improving the polymer seals that seal the unit and hold it together. Computational tools for examining IG units on a structural mechanics basis were not available. This document introduces a series of working and proposed models designed to meet this need. An examination of the need for research and development in the IG unit field is followed by a discussion of "global" and "local" models designed to examine IG unit behavior from a structural mechanics standpoint. The global model considers the response of the entire IG unit, while the local model focuses on smaller segments of the unit within the seal detail. Specifically, the local model examines the complex response of the boundary of the unit where the materials making up the unit seal (aluminum, glass, sealant) are in contact. Engineering properties of glass and aluminum are well defined, but those of sealants are dependent on polymer type, strain rate and stress relaxation. A method for finding the engineering properties of polymer sealants is presented. Finally, the local model is exercised in a series of parametric studies which examine the effect on component stresses caused by changes in environmental conditions, sealant modulus, spacer cross section, depth of perimeter sealant, and spacer aspect ratio. Potential additional uses of the local model are discussed. These discussions include the effect and modeling method for including the IG unit mounting system such as a mechanical or dry neoprene gasket and a polymer " structural " seal.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Texas Tech University

Year dc:date.issued

1985

Author dc:creator

• Anderson, Jon Baxter

• Structural engineering
• Sealing (Technology)
• Glass construction
• Insulating materials
• Glass-metal sealing

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/2346/19994

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ttu-ir.tdl.org:2346/19994