The Lower Bound for Glass Strength and Its Interpretation with Generalized Weibull Statistics for Structural Applications
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 142, Issue 12
Abstract
Because the strength of glass is governed by randomly distributed surface flaws that can propagate catastrophically when the applied stress reaches a critical value, the weakest-link-in-the-chain rationale is the universally accepted interpretation of its significant variability. The two-parameter Weibull extreme value distribution is currently the most commonly used model for structural design, although it is recognized that it fails to capture the experimental data within the region of small failure probabilities, associated with the lowest strengths. However, the precise characterization of this left-hand-side tail of the distribution is crucial for structural applications, for which only very low probabilities of failure are accepted. Experiments have provided evidence of the existence of a lower bound for the strength of glass, a finding that, if proved, could revolutionize the approach to the safety of glass structures. Referring to the large-scale experimental program of the Technical Committee 129—Working Group 8 of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN/TC129/WG8), various generalized statistical distributions like Weibull, either prescribing a strength limit or not, are compared in their ability to interpolate the experimental data using the chi-square goodness-of-fit test. Arguments are presented that support the existence of a minimal strength, which can be reduced, but not annihilated, by the inevitable degradation of the glass surface produced by aging and in-service-related damage.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the support of the Italian Dipartimento della Protezione Civile under project ReLUIS-DPC 2014-2018.
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Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 142 • Issue 12 • December 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 18, 2015
Accepted: Jun 16, 2016
Published online: Sep 9, 2016
Published in print: Dec 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Feb 9, 2017
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