Given a series of intrinsic features of structural glass systems (i.e., material properties, type of restraints, operational conditions, etc.), special care should be spent at the design stage, to ensure appropriate fail-safe requirements, but also in the service life of these innovative building components and assemblies. In this paper, the dynamic characterization of simple monolithic glass elements is presented, based on non-destructive laboratory experiments and Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) techniques, including Finite Element (FE) numerical simulations, classical analytical models, and video-tracking approaches. It is shown, in particular, how the actual restraint condition (i.e., flexibility of supports, with respect to ideal boundaries) can affect the vibration parameters of a given glass member (frequency and damping capacity). This turns out in possible variations of its overall structural performance, including stress-strain-related effects, hence suggesting the need for even further dedicated studies and methods for the reliable analysis and design of structural glass assemblies and complex systems under dynamic loads.

Monolithic and laminated glass beams or panes are frequently adopted as structural elements in modern and innovative architectural applications. Several aspects related to the load-carrying behavior of these new construction elements are very complex to evaluate. For example, the degradation of mechanical properties of the interlayer, the amplitude of the imperfections affecting the beams, or the presence of added external loads represent only some aspects that contribute to the complexity of evaluating the buckling response of these innovative structural components, characterized by high slenderness ratios and brittle behavior in tension. For these reasons, the buckling of laminated glass beams in compression is investigated in this paper by using a simple analytical model developed on the basis of Newmark’s theory of composite beams with deformable connections. Buckling curves are presented to illustrate how a combination of simultaneous weathering variations, initial imperfections, or particular load conditions can affect the response of compressed laminated glass beams and cause their failure.