Glass is an extremely brittle material that behaves almost perfectly linear elastic until it fractures. The linear-elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) approach described by Griffith’s energy criterion is typically used to explain failure from a pre-existing crack like defect. However, LEFM reaches its limits in explaining failure processes at general stress concentration points and implementing the Coupled Criterion (CC) to take over is a tricky task. This mainly because it requires the knowledge of the tensile strength of the material which is a parameter not easy to characterize in glass. It is in general defined through a statistical law and relies strongly with surface flaws. The general aim of this work is to give an overview of the current understanding of glass tensile strength.
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