Quasi-Static and Blast Performance of Asymmetrical Laminated Glass Systems

Despite the widespread use of laminated glass (LG) in protective glazing systems, the behavior of asymmetrical LG configurations under static and blast loading remains insufficiently understood. This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation of fourteen full-scale laminated glass (LG) panels, including both symmetrical and asymmetrical configurations, incorporating annealed, heat-strengthened, and tempered glass with polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), and SentryGlas (SG) interlayers. Quasi-static water chamber tests were conducted to establish static resistance functions and characterize failure mechanisms, while an explicit finite element model developed in ANSYS AUTODYN was validated using available blast-test data. The investigated asymmetrical configurations exhibited up to a 47% increase in peak static resistance and up to a 40% reduction in thickness-scaled blast-induced deflection compared with the corresponding thinner symmetrical configurations. These differences reflect combined configuration and thickness effects rather than the isolated influence of asymmetry. Interlayer properties significantly influenced structural performance, with SG reducing dynamic deflections by up to 63% compared with EVA systems, while tempered glass exhibited the highest overall resistance. The results further demonstrated that laminate orientation affects blast response and can be optimized to enhance structural performance. These findings provide new insight into the behavior of asymmetrical laminated glass systems and demonstrate the potential of the investigated configurations for improving blast-resistant glazing performance.