Many applications of glass are predominantly determined by its strength behaviour which depends on the geometry, the stress state and the surface nature of the glass product, but also on the type and duration of the loading. Glass possesses a high Young’s modulus, which is comparable with that of metals and thus enables the fabrication of products with high rigidity – in contrast to polycarbonate with a much lower Young’s modulus. However, glass - as a brittle-elastic material – is susceptible to fracture and due to its chemical reactivity also to static fatigue. This publication is in four parts, produced as part of the ICG's Advanced Course to secure the most essential basics of stress formation, crack propagation and statistical evaluation of fracture events and, furthermore, to introduce the relevant methods of stress and strength measurements as well as the fractographic characterisation of fracture surfaces as a means to elucidate failure causes. The Advanced Course addresses employees of the glass industry in the fields of production, processing, application and testing as well as all engineers and scientists who are not experts in this particular topic but look for a sound introduction.
