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Address:
Glafo, PG Vejdes väg 15,
SE-351 96
Växjö
SWEDEN
Visitor's address:
Vejdes plats 3
Tel: +46 10 516 63 50
E-mail: info@glafo.se
You find
a map at the
"about Glafo" page.
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GLASS-WOOD
COMBINATIONS – INNOVATIVE BUILDING PRODUCTS WITH ADDED VALUE
The target
of this work is to carry out three research projects and a one aimed
at disseminating the results, to establish an appropriate network, to
employ two PhD students, to hold three theme/seminar meetings, and to
produce at least one new prototype of a combined glass and wood building
construction component.
The report
Timber/Glass Adhesive Bonds - Experimental testing and evaluation methods
can be down-loaded here.
Articles in Swedish as well as
a film of a beam test can be down-loaded from the Swedish
project page.
Partial reports
You
can read partial reports here.
Background
The building industry
has rediscovered its interest in the use of wood as a structural material
for advanced applications. In addition, there is substantial interest
in exploiting the aesthetic values of glass in buildings, as in (for
example) large glazed surfaces. At the same time, there is the question
of whether or how glass can be used as part of load-bearing systems.
It is in this particular segment that there are major opportunities
for developing new, added-value construction products that offer development
potentials for the industry.
Today's
architecture is looking for new ways of expressing its message, open-plan
solutions and large glazed areas, all of which impose new requirements.
How, for example, will the more stringent energy conservation requirements
of updated building regulations affect the appearance of future buildings?
Can glass and wood be combined in load-bearing structures? If so, what
opportunities will be opened up for expression, as well as for technical
properties such as load-bearing capacity, sway, acoustics, distortion,
fire or energy? Many possibilities and many questions.
Project
summary
The project is intended to acquire new applied knowledge in several
working areas. The main idea is to upgrade the wood raw material and
float glass to standardised, innovative construction components and
systems. Three technical sub-projects - 'Adhesives, stability and load-carrying
capacity', 'Energy and the environment' and 'Architecture and expression'
- will develop the appropriate technologies and accumulate knowledge
in conjunction with the participating research parties and industry
representatives. It must be possible to use the components and systems
in both new building work and conversion work, in order to create good
living environments in terms of safety, indoor climate and energy use.
Finding
the best way of bringing glass and wood together requires a basic understanding
of the chemical and physical properties involved in this approach. In
addition, we need to know the properties of the resulting combination
of the two materials in composite structures. Examples of the necessary
investigations include surface characterisation, the composition of
materials, compatibility of fasteners and adhesives, strength, stiffness
and toughness.
The project is being operated by
Glafo, working closely with Linnaeus University (former Växjö
University) and the University of Lund.
Financers
and industry in the reference
group through
Emmaboda glas, Forserum
Safety Glass AB, GFAB i Kalmar, LBE arkitekt AB, Osby Glas AB, Pilkington
Floatglas AB, Sika Sveriga AB, SP Trätek, Svensk Planglasförenings
service AB, TMF, Trä och Möbelindustriförbundet, Tremco-illbruck
AB
CURRENT
PROJECTS
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