This book presents the comprehensive results of experimental and numerical investigations of glass façade breakage behavior under fire conditions. First of all, full-scale frame and point-supported glass façades, incorporating single, double and coated glazing, were tested under pool fire conductions. The results determined the effects of different glass frames, types of glass, and thermal shocks on breakage behavior. Small-scale tests, using the Material Testing System (MTS) 810, Netzsch Dilatometer and FE-SEM, were also performed at different temperatures to determine the basic mechanical properties of glazing. In addition, a three-dimensional dynamic model was developed to predict stress distribution, crack initiation and propagation, and has since been employed to identify the breakage mechanisms of different types of glass façade. The numerical results showed very good agreement with the experimental results and verified the model’s ability to accurately predict breakage. Lastly, a theoretical model based on incident heat flux was developed to predict the breakage time and heat transfer in glazing, which served to reveal the nature of interactions between fire and glass.

This book attempts to redress this issue by providing an overview of the recent developments in this field thereby providing a basis for the understanding of the structural performance and design of glass in buildings. Each chapter draws on the latest developments in practice and research and contains contributions from various international glass experts. The mix of general and specialist content ranging from rules of thumb to fracture mechanics and novel applications to post-breakage performance make this book useful to practitioners and researchers. Furthermore, the text is supplemented by tables of the major codes of practice and by an extensive list of references.

Composite materials have aroused a great interest over the last few decades, as proven by the huge number of scientific papers and industrial progress. The increase in the use of composite structures in different engineering practices justify the present international meeting where researches from every part of the globe can share and discuss the recent advancements regarding the use of structural components within advanced applications such as buckling, vibrations, repair, reinforcements, concrete, composite laminated materials and more recent metamaterials. Studies about composite structures are truly multidisciplinary and the given contributions can help other researches and professional engineers in their own field. This Conference is suitable as a reference for engineers and scientists working in the professional field, in the industry and the academia and it gives the possibility to share recent advancements in different engineering practices to the outside world. This book aims to collect selected plenary and key-note lectures of this International Conference. For this reason, the establishment of this 20th edition of International Conference on Composite Structures has appeared appropriate to continue what has been begun during the previous editions. ICCS wants to be an occasion for many researchers from each part of the globe to meet and discuss about the recent advancements regarding the use of composite structures, sandwich panels, nanotechnology, bio-composites, delamination and fracture, experimental methods, manufacturing and other countless topics that have filled many sessions during this conference. As a proof of this event, which has taken place in Paris (France), selected plenary and key-note lectures have been collected in the present book.