Effects of chemical strengthening, strain rate and stress wave on the flexural properties of aluminosilicate glass

Plate-like glass structures, such as vehicle windshields and building windows, can experience dynamic failure under impact during service. In this article, the flexural properties of annealed and chemically strengthened aluminosilicate glass were investigated. A series of quasi-static, dynamic uniaxial unidirectional and dynamic uniaxial bidirectional tests were conducted on semi-circular bending specimens. The failure characteristics of specimens were observed using a high-speed photographic system and a scanning electron microscope. The effects of chemical strengthening, strain rate and stress wave on the flexural properties were analyzed. The test results indicated that chemical strengthening and strain rate have significant influence on the flexural properties. The relationship between flexural strength, strain rate and chemical strengthening was predicted using an empirical formula. In contrast, the dynamic flexural properties of specimens do not depend on the number of uniaxial stress waves. Specimens can achieve load balance more quickly in bidirectional tests compared to unidirectional loading, enabling acquisition of more valuable data of brittle specimens such as glass.