Numerical simulation of transparent glass-GFRP composite beams using smeared crack models

Abstract

This paper describes results of experimental and numerical investigations about the structural behaviour of composite beams made of annealed glass panes and GFRP pultruded profiles. A brief description of flexural tests previously carried out on glass and glass-GFRP composite beams is first presented. The second part of this paper describes the numerical simulation of a rectangular glass-GFRP composite beam. Two-dimensional finite element (FE) models of the composite beam were developed in order to simulate and analyse their serviceability behaviour (prior to glass breakage) as well as their post-cracking behaviour until the failure. To this end, a multi-fixed smeared crack model was used, and the effects of the following parameters were evaluated: (i) fracture energy of glass and (ii) shear retention factor. Experimental and numerical results are compared regarding the cracking load and post-cracking behaviour, namely in terms of crack pattern and load-deflection response.