Feasibility of mechanical post-tensioning of annealed glass beams by activating externally bonded Fe-SMA reinforcement

•Partial activation of Fe-SMA strips is a safe strategy for post-tensioning glass;•The deleterious effects from Fe-SMA activation smooth shear stress concentrations;•Fe-SMA reinforced glass elements show extremely ductile failure modes;•The higher the activation temperature the lower the post-cracking stiffness;•A maximum recovery stress must not be exceeded to avoid catastrophic collapses.