Durability Test of Cold-Bent Insulating Glass Units

Cold-bent glass has been utilized in a number of landmark projects globally, owing to its cost-effectiveness and low carbon footprint. To investigate the impact of cold bending loads on the long-term performance of insulating laminated glass, this paper proposes a durability testing method for cold-bent glass. This method is based on the hypothesis that the failure of the glass sealing system is caused by the cold bending process. It is novel in its use of full-scale glass panel specimens subjected to the maximum design cold-bend curvature to replicate the worst-case sealing boundary conditions present in actual installations. This method comprises three components: cold bending, cyclic immersion in water, and high–low temperature cycling. The durability is evaluated by assessing the laminating condition and sealing performance of the insulating laminated glass before and after testing. In total, 24 insulating glass samples from an actual engineering project were studied by the proposed methodology. The results indicate the following: (1) the proposed method demonstrates strong operational feasibility, suitable for durability testing and the assessment of cold-bent insulating laminated glass across diverse dimensions; (2) no significant quality or sealing issues were observed in the tested samples during the tests, suggesting that durability is minimally affected when the glass’s cold bending warpage is controlled within certain range; and (3) a discernible trend observed in the full-scale test data is that cold bending results in increased misalignment and decreased argon content. These findings provide a valuable reference for the design and construction of cold-bent glass curtain wall projects.