The Influence of Structural Arrangement on Long-duration Blast Response of Annealed Glazing
This paper investigates the influence of structural arrangement on long-duration blast loaded annealed glazing via variable thickness, area, aspect ratio and edge support conditions. Initially, the findings of eighteen full-scale air-blast trials employing 33 annealed glazing panels are reported where it is demonstrated that fracture mode and fragmentation are a strong function of edge supports.
Numerical Investigation of Reinforced Concrete Barriers Subjected to Blast Loading
People’s lives are threatened by explosions; the tragic terrorist attacks have forced the governments to consider the importance of dealing with these attacks. With the rising threat of terrorism, protecting critical civil infrastructure such as embassies, governmental buildings, and airports against bomb attacks has become a critical issue. In the current research, reinforced concrete barriers subjected to blast loading are numerically investigated using Applied Element Method “AEM”.
Numerical Collapse Analysis of Tsuyagawa Bridge Damaged by Tohoku Tsunami
In March 2011, the Tohoku tsunami swept over the east coast of Japan killing more than 15,000 people and missing more than 2,500 people. The tsunami resulted in collapsing of more than 400,000 buildings and washing away of more than 250 coastal bridges. In this study,...Effects of Close Range Blasts on Steel Frames. Experimental Testing and Numerical Validation
During last decades, there was an increased interest from research and design professionals to provide effective strategies in protecting buildings and other assets from the direct effects of blasts or other incidents. Experimental tests, conducted over a large range...Evaluation Of The Seismic Vulnerability of the “Ancien Hôpital De Sion” Using Applied Element Modelling (AEM) and Local Mechanism Analysis
The evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of monumental buildings is a difficult task and presents significantly higher level of complexity if compared to the case of new or current existing structures. This is due to the inherent uncertainty characterizing ancient buildings, regarding structural characteristics and constructive techniques, material properties, damages due to past actions, which should be properly handled in their seismic assessment.
Experimental Testing and Numerical Analysis of 3D Steel Frame System Under Column Loss
Multistory steel frames are expected to provide resistance to progressive collapse following local damage or failure caused by extreme loading events. Features like ductility and continuity provide more deformation capacity and redistribution of loads so that the...Separation Strain for Progressive Collapse Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Building Using Applied Element Method
The basic theory of the applied element method is described in this article, and some modeling techniques for applying this analysis method to the simulation of the progressive collapse of reinforced concrete tall buildings are suggested. Separation strain, which is...Seismic Assessment of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings in Canada
Unreinforced masonry (URM) structures have shown to be susceptible to significant damage during strong earthquakes. Vulnerability assessment of URM buildings is needed so that appropriate mitigation strategies can be implemented. The existing Canadian practice consists of rapid seismic screening of buildings to assign priorities for further and more refined assessments, followed by refined analysis of individual critical buildings.
Design and Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Columns in Uplift due to Internal Building Detonations
Current research with respect to the protection of civilian infrastructure against complex blast loading conditions is primarily focused towards the effect of external explosive sources. As a consequence, the general literature on internal building detonations and specifically in the context of protective design and assessment of structures against these loading conditions is incomplete. Existing guidelines developed for comparatively noncomplex external explosive blast remain unconservative when applied to internal building detonations due to blast wave confinement and complex interaction with structural components. In particular, reinforced concrete (RC) columns in internal blast environments are subjected to time-variant uplift forces coupled with lateral pressures leading to destabilisation and a critical loss of structural integrity. Research presented in this thesis provides an original understanding towards: (i) – the influence of transient uplift forces on the vulnerability of RC columns subject to lateral blast pressures and, (ii) – design and assessment of RC columns against the effect of time-variant coupled uplift and lateral blast pressures due to internal building detonations.