Structural Transparency – A New Wood Plastic Composite Girder

Abstract

Transparency is one of the significant features of modern architecture. By utilisingtransparent materials the feeling of lightness can be conveyed. This paper shows thepossibility of employing transparent plastic as a load-bearing element. In order tobe able to use a new material as part of the building structure it is essential to knowits mechanical behaviour under various conditions like different temperatures,environmental impacts or the load duration. Proposals for the design of structuralelements that consist of these materials are still rare up to now since plastics arestill fairly new to the building industry. By combining transparent withconventional building materials it is possible to merge transparency and strength ina girder that comprises a combination of transparent thermoplastics and wood

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