Fully Bonded Glass-Concrete Walkway Unveiled at Glasstec 2024
(22-10-2024) On October 22, 2024, during Glass Technology Live at Glasstec 2024 in Düsseldorf, a fully bonded glass-concrete walkway, named G2C (glass-to-concrete), was unveiled.
This hybrid glass-concrete structure, which has not a single mechanical connection, was developed by the Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture in collaboration with the department of structural adhesives of fischerwerke GmbH & Co (Germany) and vitroplena bv (Belgium).
The G2C walkway explores the potential of structural bonding between glass and concrete. Such bonding serves as an alternative to mechanical connections, such as point connections, offering several structural advantages, including improved load distribution in the joint. The use of transparent adhesives also enhances the aesthetic value of the entire structure. The unveiled demonstrator showcases various potential applications of this innovative bonding technique between laminated glass from Arnold Glas (Germany) and fibre-reinforced (FR) ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) from Ergon nv/sa (Belgium).
The 5.5 m long walkway consists of a 3 m long hybrid glass-concrete panel with glass laminates bonded to both the top (completely bonded) and bottom (locally bonded). The fibre-reinforced concrete core features several openings to reduce weight and to increase transparency. The glass laminates on the top and bottom are structurally activated through the adhesive connections which enables the transfer of applied loads and enhances the stiffness of the element, thereby minimizing deformations.
Hybrid T-shaped glass-concrete beams are integrated into the floor slab and consist of a concrete flange with a laminated glass web bonded vertically in premade groove. The arch-shape of the glass element optimises material use and structural integrity. The hybrid floor slab is finished with two glass laminates, functioning as balustrades, bonded to the lateral sides.
On both sides of the hybrid glass-concrete panel are slender hybrid glass-concrete staircases, featuring a concrete stairs bonded between two structural glass stringers using a transparent adhesive. The glass stringers serve as both balustrade and the primary load-bearing structure of the staircases. This design utilises the transparency and load-bearing capacity of glass to create a floating appearance for the slender staircases.
Both concrete stairs are made from fibre-reinforced ultra-high-performance concrete. However, one stair uses a traditional concrete mix, while the other uses a mix without cement, which constitutes about 90% of the carbon footprint of unreinforced concrete. This mix, called Resourcefull, incorporates steel slag from secondary metallurgy streams, thus reducing the footprint to less than 20% compared to the reference mix. In addition to this reduction in ecological footprint, the structural performance and aesthetic finish are excellent.
Glasstec 2024
This fully bonded walkway could be admired and experienced at Glasstec 2024, which took place from 22 to 25 October in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Glasstec is the leading international trade fair for the glass industry, held biennially in Düsseldorf. At Glass Technology Live, part of Glasstec, various universities from different European countries showcase their state-of-the-art research in structural glass and glass applications.
Contact
T +32 473 68 45 70
Laboratory Magnel-Vandepitte
Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials
Pictures: © Cas Maertens