Experimental Investigation of High Strain-Rate Behaviour of Glass

The purpose of this work is to assess the dynamic mechanical behaviour of a commercial glass similar to that of the laminated glass structures used for protection and security applications in buildings. In particular, the study has been focussed on the influence of the strain-rate on the compressive (standard compression test) and tensile (splitting tensile test) strength of this glass. Tests at different strain-rates have been performed in the range between 10-3 to 103 s-1 using standard test equipment for quasi-static tests and a SHPB equipped with a high-speed camera for the dynamic ones. Test data for compression tend to show that there is no substantial sensitivity to the strain-rate concerning ultimate strength and Young modulus. An appreciable increase in the ultimate tensile strength is revealed at higher strain-rate.