Response Of Structures Under Extreme Loading

Response of Structures Under Extreme Loading

Original research on performance of materials under a wide variety of blasts, impacts, severe loading and fireCritical information for protecting buildings and civil infrastructure against human attack, deterioration and natural disastersTest and design data for new types of concrete, steel and FRP materials This technical book is devoted to the empirical and theoretical analysis of how structures and the materials constituting them perform under the extreme conditions of explosions, fire, and impact. Each of the 119 fully refereed presentations is published here for the first time and was selected because of its original contribution to the science and engineering of how materials, bridges, buildings, tunnels and their components, such as beams and pre-stressed parts, respond to potentially destructive forces. Emphasis is placed on translating empirical data to design recommendations for strengthening structures, including strategies for fire and earthquake protection as well as blast mitigation. Technical details are provided on the development and behavior of new resistant materials, including reinforcements, especially for concrete, steel and their composites.

Buildings and Structures under Extreme Loads

Exceptional loads on buildings and structures may have different causes, including high-strain dynamic effects due to natural hazards, man-made attacks, and accidents, as well as extreme operational conditions (severe temperature variations, humidity, etc.). All of these aspects can be critical for specific structural typologies and/or materials that are particularly sensitive to external conditions. In this regard, dedicated and refined methods are required for their design, analysis, and maintenance under the expected lifetime. There are major challenges related to the structural typology and material properties with respect to the key features of the imposed design load. Further issues can be derived from the need for risk mitigation or retrofit of existing structures as well as from the optimal and safe design of innovative materials/systems. Finally, in some cases, no appropriate design recommendations are available and, thus, experimental investigations can have a key role within the overall process. In this Special Issue, original research studies, review papers, and experimental and/or numerical investigations are presented for the structural performance assessment of buildings and structures under various extreme conditions that are of interest for design.

Structures Under Extreme Loading Conditions