ABSTRACT
Design guidance, references to standards and built details for a wide range of structural glass applications is contained in the Institution of Structural Engineers guide Structural use of glass in buildings. Most glass design codes allude to the need to limit deflection, but avoid direct specification. In some cases the design will be constrained by the limits of one or more processing steps, particularly when it comes to panel size, and the inner and outer panes of insulating units are commonly different types. Standards for the design of glazing for windows exist in most developed countries, although there is wide variation in the methods of calculation and the values for the strength of glass used when calculating the required thickness. The design objective is to absorb energy from the impacts of something like a hammer or an axe and avoid the interlayer being cut, torn or penetrated such that it would allow someone to gain access through the window.
