Glass Structures & Engineering has recently added a new dimension to the journal: the Glassinars! In these live online events, recent papers of the journal are highlighted through short presentations by the authors, followed by Q&A sessions. By means of the Glassinars we provide a direct interaction between the readers and authors, so to initiate a lively discussion on a selection of exciting topics presented in the journal. We trust these free Glassinars will attract a wide audience and will further boost the interaction within the international glass engineering community. So, make sure to be part of the action and sign up for the upcoming Glassinars!

Exciting topics in the field of glass engineering are also presented in the six papers of this issue of the Glass Structures & Engineering journal.

The first three papers in this issue relate to the mechanical characterisation of various materials and their forms, which are important in glass engineering. The paper by Sanders et al. provides an experimental and numerical investigation of the in-plane and out-of-plane fracture strength of both core-drilled and waterjet cut holes in glass. Then, the paper by Bristogianni et al. uses a variety of experimental techniques, such as Digital Microscopy, Impulse Excitation and four-point bending tests to investigate the bending strength and stiffness of kiln-cast glass specimens. The last paper in this set, by Berlinger et al., determines the local fracture strains of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) specimens in uniaxial tensile tests and provides a statistical analysis based on a generalized Anderson-Darling test.

The second three papers in this issue relate to the use of glass in combination with other materials for creating enhanced composite glass components. The paper by Cagnacci et al. investigates the structural performance of FRP (fibre reinforced polymer) reinforced laminated glass beams through a combination of adhesion tests, pull-out tests and four-point bending tests. The paper by Cupać et al., investigates the failure mechanism in post-tensioned glass beams and provides an analytical model, based on post-tensioned concrete technology, for the determination of the allowable preload. The last paper, by Hänig et al., focuses on lightweight composite panels made of thin glass and an PMMA core and determines the mechanical performance of both the PMMA material and the composite panels through combined experimental and numerical investigations.

We hope you will again enjoy reading this issue and we are looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming Glassinars!