×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Point supported glass

Point supported glass

Point supported glass

(OP)
I need to design a glass guard rail and hand rail for a stair case.  The glass will be tempered and will be attached to the side of the steel stair stringer with fasteners.  These fasteners are to have washers embedded in the glass.  The fasteners will be flat head with the flat head countersunk in the washer.  That way the fastener does not extend out past the face of glass.

This connection looks a lot like the connections used on all glass walls where each glass lite is supported only at the four corners.  I'm trying to find design data for this type of connection and I'm having trouble finding an answer.

Here are my questions:
1.  What would be the maximum thickness allowable for the washer?  I'm thinking this would depend on the thickness of glass required but I'm looking for a formula based on glass thickness or some type of general rule.
2.  What would be the maximum bearing stress allowable on the glass at the washer?  Or bearing force would be good to use too.

Thanks!

RE: Point supported glass

Wow.  just some random thoughts:

The maximum washer thickness would be a function of the depth of the compression zone on the surface of the glass, wouldn't it?  (Does it have to be glass and not some form of lucite or PMMA?)  Is the washer going to be the loading point of contact between the fastener and the glass?  If so, then you're probably going to need the actual stresses at this connection (bolt pre-load and applied load from someone hanging on the rail).  If that exceeds the residual compressive stresses in your glass, then it falls down into many little pieces.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources