The goal of this thesis is to research vertical in-plane compression load bearing capacity of a glass panel combined with wood. The basis of my research is the idea to use glass as a part of the load bearing construction of buildings. A test of in-plane compression of a life-sized glass panel has been carried out in the laboratory of Chair for material and construction testing at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering. The aim was to determine the panel's load bearing capacity, its performance under in-plane compression force, what kind of bending occurs when failure happens and what the failure is like. Considering the information available in literature the glass is expected to withstand high in-plane compression force and that its slenderness is a problem. Since the glass has very low tensile strength the buckling of the compressed elements represents crucial failure mode because bending occur and as such tensile deformations.\ud
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In the first part of my thesis the history of glass, different types of glass and their production as well as existing development are described. I focused on the types of glass which are used in construction, namely laminated and heat-treated glass. This is followed by a presentation of glass production and its use in construction in the world market. It also includes a catalogue of the world's biggest glass producers and their market shares. Before thoroughly describing the laboratory test my thesis displays the newest architectural views using examples of buildings that have incorporated glass as a part of load bearing construction. As this chapter in a way gives meaning to my research it is appropriately placed as an introduction to the next one, which includes results and findings of our tests. \ud
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