Stress analysis and fracture simulation of aluminosilicate glass plates under Ring-On-Ring loading

Ring-On-Ring (ROR) tests have been widely applied to evaluate the biaxial flexural strength of brittle materials. Properly designed geometry of specimens and loading configurations are essential for accurate test results. In this paper, the stress distribution of round glass plates subjected to loading between concentric rings was investigated via finite element analysis. In particular, the effects of the ratio of the ring diameter, overhang and thickness of plates were studied and discussed. ROR tests on aluminosilicate glass were then conducted together with numerical simulations based on the smeared fixed crack method. The out-of-plane deformation of glass plates can be reproduced well by the numerical model. In order to mimic the observed fracture modes, numerical models with different mesh geometries were utilized and compared. Unstructured quadrilateral mesh and triangular mesh types were proven to be efficient in reproducing the fracture and failure morphology of glass specimens.