Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Wired Glass

ABSTRACT This study investigates the fracture strength, also known as the modulus of rupture (MOR), of wired glass using the four‐point bending test. The strength distribution was analyzed through a two‐parameter Weibull analysis, with the stress at failure determined using digital image correlation (DIC) coupled with finite element analysis (FEA). The fracture strength of wired glass is compared to soda lime glass following the scaling procedure outlined in ASTM C1683. Results indicate that the inclusion of wire mesh does not significantly impact the geometric or intrinsic flexural properties of the glass beam. This observation is further backed by FEA simulation results, which indicate that wired glass only exhibits a weak orthotropic material behavior. Strength comparison reveals that wired glass is considerably weaker than unreinforced soda‐lime glass, in spite of the presence of the wire mesh, suggesting differences in flaw distributions from the manufacturing process. This study concluded that wire mesh does not enhance the mechanical properties of the glass, and in fact the inclusion of wire mesh reduces the overall flexural strength. Wired glass should not be classified as safety glass as it fails at a lower strength than float/annealed glass of similar composition and thus can often cause more serious injuries if used as an architectural material where impact with humans is possible.