The Stackable Glass Column

The Stackable Glass Column

de Vries, Eline (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)

Oikonomopoulou, Faidra (mentor)
Bilow, Marcel (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

2018-06-28

In 1942 cast glass columns weredesigned in the Danteum by GiuseppeTerragni. But due to the annealing timeof large glass pieces, these have neverbeen produced. Now, more than 75years later, a new type of cast glasscolumn will be designed. This time, thedesign is made out of interlocking drystacked cast glass components.Glass is a strong yet brittle materialthat is used in many different industries.In this research, we are looking atthe glass type borosilicate. This glasstype is used in practices where temperaturedifferences could occur. Whendesigning a load-bearing column, fireresistance is a significant part of theoverall safety of the column.Columns that are made out of glasscan be separated in five types byNijsse, R. & Ten Brincke (2014); profiled,layered tubular, stacked sheets,bundled and cast. As far as we know,the profiled glass column is thy onlytype that is used in the structure in abuilding so far. When wanting to producea cast glass column, this columnshould be split up into smaller pieces.This is because it would result in anannealing time that is much shorterdue to the smaller dimensions andvolume of the different parts of thecolumn.When the column is split up intopieces, thoughts should be about howto connect those separated pieces.Previously in cast glass structures inthe Atocha Memorial in Madrid andthe Crystal Houses in Amsterdam, anadhesive glue was used to bond thebricks. In these structures it is notpossible to remove the glue easily;which will eventually result in moreresidual waste with no recycled glass.When a dry connection would be chosen,the column could be re-stackableand recyclable. Because the columnshould also be able to hold shearforces, this dry connection should besubstantiated with a shear connection.This connection could be constructedby an interlocking surface or element.In this design, this connection is madewith a dry interlayer of TPU and aninterlocking sphere between the surfaces.This interlocking sphere only had tobear the shear forces that will be appliedon the column. These forces willbe much lower than the compressiveforces that will be transferred throughthe flat surface of the components.This is why there will be great freedomin the materials and the interlayersthat may, or may not be used.A list of design principles and challengeshas been made during the literatureresearch that has been done. Fromthis different designs have been madefor the component design. An elegantbone-like shape has been chosen todevelop further, to find the limitationsof glass as a material and the loads ithas to carry.In this design, ten subcolumns ofconstructed of the same componentand its interlocking sphere will be thestructure of the total column. Due tothe forces that are applied in the casestudy the glasspalace, a building ofmultiple stories on the ground floorthat has a height of 6 meter, the componentand therefore the column grewvery big and robust.Different mock-ups on scale 1:3 aremade with the silicone moulds thatare produced; ice, sugar glass, glassand epoxy. Some were experimentallytested on strength and cracking behaviourin comparison to real glass.This thesis aims to find out how wecan design and produce a safe, engineeringsound, re-stackable, free-standingcolumn made of multifunctionalcast glass interlocking components.

cast glass
dry connection
interlayer
interlocking geometry
Multifunctionality
glass column

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:53813452-ce91-40eb-835f-215c5b1a938e

Student theses

master thesis

© 2018 Eline de Vries