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Direct evaluation of the modification coefficient $k_{\mathrm{mod}}$ for the static-fatigue design of annealed glass panes under wind load

Stefano Vozzella, Claudio Boni, Roberta Massabò and Gianni Royer-Carfagni

Vol. 20 (2025), No. 3, 289–313
DOI: 10.2140/jomms.2025.20.289
Abstract

Most standards reduce the design strength of glass through a modification coefficient that accounts for static fatigue caused by subcritical propagation of surface cracks. For wind pressures on glass plates, the coefficient is derived assuming nominal durations of maximum wind gusts or cumulative winds, which are defined based on tradition and practice. Here we derive closed-form expressions for the modification coefficient using a fracture mechanics approach which incorporates the time histories of wind velocity or their probabilistic distributions. The coefficient depends on the duration of the action and becomes constant for typical design lives. A consistent nominal duration is then defined by referring to a wind with fixed reference velocity which produces the same damage of the actual action. The approach, applicable to the European context, has been applied to data recorded in Italy. The results are compared with prescriptions from various standards showing that they are in general non-conservative.

Keywords
annealed glass, wind action, subcritical crack propagation, static fatigue design, probabilistic mechanics
Milestones
Received: 3 March 2025
Revised: 10 July 2025
Accepted: 21 July 2025
Published: 2 September 2025
Authors
Stefano Vozzella
Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering
University of Genova
16145 Genova
Italy
Claudio Boni
Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering
University of Genova
16145 Genova
Italy
Roberta Massabò
Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering
University of Genova
16145 Genova
Italy
Gianni Royer-Carfagni
Department of Systems Engineering and Industrial Technologies
University of Parma
43124 Parma
Italy
Construction Technologies Institute
Italian National Research Council (ITC-CNR)
20098 San Giuliano Milanese, Milano
Italy