Predictive Modelling of Hail Impact Damage on Toughened Glazing Panels

Abstract

Glazing facades are amongst the most vulnerable element in a modern building to severe weather conditions including hailstorms. Repeated impacts can cause surface damage requiring costly replacement and in severe cases, may result in perforation of the glass pane, allowing water ingress leading to damage to the interior of the building. Toughened glass offers enhanced strength compared with annealed glass but remains susceptible to failure triggered by intense localised impact actions. This chapter introduces a predictive modelling framework for evaluating the risk of hail-induced failure of toughened glass panels. This chapter begins with explaining the fundamental failure mechanisms in gla..