Development and Manufacturing of Highly Damage Resistant Fiber Glass Reinforced Window Panels for Buildings in Hurricane Prone Areas

本项目试图开发和制造一种新型的玻璃纤维增强透明夹层玻璃窗，以减少玻璃板在暴风雨中的破碎。拟建的玻璃板将由外层玻璃板、玻璃纤维增强塑料(聚酯)板和内层玻璃板组成。随后，加固板将在模拟风暴条件下进行广泛的测试和断裂分析，目标是获得最大的韧性和优化的玻璃复合板，它比现有的板具有高度的抗损伤能力、更轻和更便宜。研究还将侧重于界面性质的变化，如层间结合和界面断裂韧性的影响。玻璃和聚酯基质之间的界面特性将通过使用界面力显微镜(IFM)进行纤维拔出和纳米硬度测试来研究，IFM是一种能够执行纳米机械测量和成像的扫描力显微镜。建立了各向异性-各向异性界面裂纹的应力场方程。将这些应力场方程与正交各向异性应力光学定律相结合，分析界面裂纹尖端在复合型载荷作用下的等差条纹图，以确定应力强度因子。从这项工作中获得的大量知识和经验将有助于今后开发基于不同复合系统的其他类似类型的太阳能电池板。此外，参与为民用基础设施和运输系统生产先进材料的其他机构也可以受益。实验和分析方法的成功实施以及拟议产品(复合玻璃面板)的制造，将对几个行业和企业产生持久的影响，并有助于促进复合材料知识和科学的发展。与圣路易斯的一个工业伙伴建立了合作关系，以促进玻璃加强板的制造和使用。

This project attempts to develop and manufacture a new fiber-glass reinforced transparent laminated glass window to alleviate the breakage of glass panels during windstorms. The proposed glass panel will consist of an outer glass ply; a fiber glass reinforced plastic (polyester) ply, and an inner glass ply. Subsequently the reinforced panels will be subjected to extensive testing and fracture analysis under simulated windstorm conditions.The goal is to obtain maximum toughness and an optimized glass composite panel, which is highly damage resistant, lighter and cheaper than the present panels. The study will also focus on the effect of the variations in the interface properties such as adhesion between layers and the interface fracture toughness. Interfacial properties between glass and polyester matrix will be studied by carrying out fiber pull-out and nanohardness tests using an Interfacial Force Microscope (IFM), a scanning force microscope capable of performing nanomechanical measurements and imaging. Stress field equations will be developed for a crack in the istropic-anistropic bimaterial interface. These stress field equations will be combined with the orthotropic stress optic law to analyze the isochromatic fringe patterns around an interface crack tip under mixed mode loading to determine the stress intensity factors. The body of knowledge generated and experience gained from this effort will be useful in developing other similar types of panels based on different composite systems in future. Also other agencies involved in producing advanced materials for civil infrastructure and transport systems can benefit. The successful implementation of the experimental and analytical approaches and fabrication of the proposed product (the composite-glass panel), will have a lasting effect on several industries and businesses, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge and science of composite materials. Collaboration with an industrial partner in Saint Louis has been established to facilitate the manufacturing and utilization of the glass reinforced panels.