Stability of load carrying elements in glass The increasing demand in modern architecture for more slender and lighter structures requires the use of new construction materials. Glass, a material that has been used for a long time in windows as a filling material, has much to offer in this regard due to its very high compressive strength and transparency. For this reason, there is a growing trend to extend the use of glass sheets to load carrying elements such as columns, beams and panels. Due to their high slenderness and high compressive strength, such elements tend to fail because of instability (i.e. column buckling, lateral torsional buckling or plate buckling). At the moment little knowledge exists about the load carrying behaviour of glass structural elements, and existing design methods for other materials (i.e. steel) have been found to be unsuitable for direct transfer to the design of glass panels. With this in mind, the main objectives of the current thesis are: The study of the load carrying behaviour of glass elements which may fail due to lack of stability by means of laboratory tests and analytical and numerical models, as well as the study of the main influencing parameters. Discussion of possible design methods for glass elements which may fail due to lack of stability for the three main stability problems (column buckling, lateral torsional buckling and plate buckling) and proposition of possible aids for design such as buckling curves. The main influencing parameters (dispersion of the glass thickness, initial deformation) on the load carrying behaviour of glass elements which may fail due to lack of stability have been measured and are evaluated herein using statistical methods. The breakage stress, the thermal prestress and the effective tensile strength are defined and explained. Existing models to determine the tensile strength of glass are discussed. The column buckling behaviour of single layer and laminated safety glass is studied by means of column buckling tests, which are compared to analytical and numerical models. The models are used to study the influence of the main parameters, particularly the shear connection due to the interlayer (PVB) in laminated safety glass, on the load carrying behaviour and buckling strength of glass elements. On the basis of this study different possible design methods for column buckling of glass elements in compression are proposed and discussed. It is shown that a second order stress analysis is the most appropriate method for glass. As a further simplification, the cross section of a laminated safety glass structural element can be modelled as a monolithic cross section with an effective thickness. Analytical and numerical models for the lateral torsional buckling of glass beams are also verified by a comparison to test results. Along with a study of the main parameters, different methods to determine the lateral torsional buckling strength are discussed, and it is shown that buckling curves for lateral torsional buckling should be developed for glass beams using a slenderness ratio based on effective tensile strength. As a result of numerical simulations, recommendations for the future development of lateral torsional buckling curves of glass beams are given. The column buckling behaviour of single layer and laminated safety glass is also studied by means of column buckling tests, analytical and numerical models. It is shown that glass panels have a large post critical load carrying capacity but the way the loads are introduced into the panels, as well as the buckling shape, have an important influence on the plate buckling capacity. A design method with buckling curves using a slenderness ratio based on effective tensile strength seems applicable for the design of glass panels. As a result of numerical simulations, recommendations for the future development of plate buckling curves for plate glass elements under compression are given.