In modern architecture the trend to seek high levels of transparency has resulted in the recent construction of many
remarkable buildings with glass envelopes. In order to increase this level of transparency even further, the idea has been
proposed that part of the primary structure can be made from structural glass as well. To allow this approach, the glass must
be able to act as a load-bearing structural element capable providing adequate levels of safety, stability and durability.
The structural behaviour of laminated glass is different from that usually used in design by engineers for structural
member made from other building materials. Existing theories used for other types of structures cannot be directly applied
to glass structures due to the peculiar properties of this material [1].
The understanding of the structural performance of laminated glass has made great advances over the past decade. In
view of the increasing use of glass as a load-bearing structural element, questions concerning the safety of such structures
and the need for the development of procedures to facilitate their safe and economic design have arisen. During the last
twenty years numbers of experiments were performed in Europe technical universities, the review on some of those is given
in [2]. There were usually investigated the behaviour problems of a single type of structural glass specimens under short
term loading [3]. The most of experiments were carried out to ensure continuous production of single glass or single
laminates and as well too less result are representing [4] the needs of laminated structural design generalization in different
temperatures under long term loading with three glass construction market most used interlayers.
The purpose of this research is to investigate the durability aspects of laminated glass in the framework of long-term tests
under different temperatures. The formation of this goal was influenced by approaches of laminated glass supporting
conditions that now dominates in engineering practice.
Therefore, in Steel Structures Laboratory (ICOM) of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) the attempts to
investigate the long term behaviour of structural glass plates with different laminates and at different temperatures were
made. All specimens were manufactured by professionals using modern glass laminating equipment at Glassbel Baltic
Company.