SBIR-STTR Award

Glass panels are the weakest element in the fa‡ade of any structure. Under blast loading due to accidental or intentional explosion, standard plate glass shatters into dangerous, high speed shards that are often the cause of a significant fraction of serious injuries. Although tempering and lamination with plastics can improve both the strength and failure behavior of glass, they are typically relatively thick and heavy and significantly more expensive. This project is undertaken to develop new design methodologies for light-weight, cost-effective blast-resistant glass. The fundamental design concept involves the multi-dimensional tailoring of the failure behavior through the manipulation and variation of material properties through the thickness and in-the-plane. The approach involves a unified experimental / computational effort. The experiments feature high-speed diagnostics to obtain real-time, detailed quantitative information regarding the response of glass to blast overpressures. The computations feature cohesive elements which enable to the simulation of the complex failure patterns associated with the failure of glass under blast loading. It is anticipated that this approach will lead to the development of a design tools and rules that will lead to the fabrication of inexpensive, light-weight blast-resistant glass panel systems. Through a unified experimental / computational approach tools and rules for the design of blast resistant glass will be developed. In this manner, plate glass having optimized cost, failure characteristics and/or weight can be fabricated. Plate glass having high strength combined with controlled failure behavior in the face of blast overpressures will have use in architecture, automotive and even consumer products - anywhere the shattering of glass poses a significant threat to safety.