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.

Project leader Glafo: Mikael Ludvigsson
Project status: NEW


WOODWISDOM - LOAD-BEARING TIMBER GLASS COMPOSITES (LBTGC)

The objective of this work is to develop a construction system based on load-bearing and stabilised structures in which glass and wood work together.

Background
In many respects, this project is a continuation of the "Glass-wood" project that was concluded in 2011, and which investigated fundamental properties and behaviour of an adhesively bonded load-bearing prototype element of glass and timber.

The new project will build upon this, and investigate how structural elements made of glass and timber are affected by shear stresses and other mechanical loads that arise when buildings are affected by (for example) wind or earthquakes. The work is being carried out as part of the EU WoodWisdom programme, with participants from Sweden (Glafo - the Swedish project manager), Austria (the overall project manager), Germany, Slovenia, Turkey, Chile and Brazil.

Working structure and implementation
The project's Swedish partners consist of Glafo, Linnæus University and the commercial companies of SIKA, GBF, Stora Enso, Södra, Pilkington and NCC.

The companies contribute with expertise in the development of structural elements and demonstration objects. Glafo is responsible for the evaluation of timber, glass and adhesives used in the load-bearing structure. Linnæus University is responsible for work on theoretical models and experimental investigations of beams and shear walls.

The results are intended to lead to the drafting of performance specifications for materials to be used in the load-bearing elements. In addition, the effects of varying humidity and temperature will be investigated as part of the work of developing these elements.

The project started with a kick-off meeting in Vienna in February, attended by all the European participants. This was followed in the spring by several meetings in Växjö and in Dresden.

The project's expected effects and results
- production of performance specifications for glass, timber, adhesives, and bonding of the glass/timber combination;
- design - comparison of small-scale and large-scale models using finite element modelling and experiments;
- development of prototypes and demonstration objects;
- life-cycle analysis (LCA) of the load-bearing elements;
- dissemination of results in sector media, scientific journals and conferences.

Summary
This project is bringing together global skills, with the help of which it can develop and improve the least used of the properties of glass; namely, its load-bearing capacity. The involvement of international partners means that the results can be expected to reach a very large public.

Further work
During the spring, Glafo will be working on sub-project "WP4 - Development", for which it is the project manager. This aims to decide the choices and specifications of timber, glass and adhesives as a basis for continued work in sub-project WP5. In this, small-scale tests of timber, glass and adhesives will be performed by the Technical University of Dresden and by Linnæus University.