A Contribution to Analysis of Collapse of High-Rise Building Inspired by the Collapses of WTC1 and WTC2: Derivation of Simple Formulas for Collapse Upper Speed and Acceleration

The paper is a contribution to the technical discussion concerning the collapses of the WTC buildings. It returns to the problem of the dynamics of the collapses;it does not concern the reason why the buildings started collapsing, but investigates the dynamics of the collapse itself. It works with the same assumptions as the official NIST report [1], i.e. that the falling mass hits the motionless mass beneath;the supporting columns loose stability and the mass of the pertinent floor starts to fall together with the falling mass. The aim was to derive the theoretical upper limit of the speed of the collapse, supposing that influence of the columns which resist the fall, is neglected. The differential equation of the fall was obtained using two independent laws of mechanics, with the identical result. Its solution can be found from a very simple explicit formula. The theoretical upper limit acceleration of the fall obtained by such formula is one third of the gravitational acceleration, which is faster than it was observed in the case of the collapses of WTC1 and WTC2. This leads to the conclusion that the mechanism of the collapse must be different from the assumed and the falling mass must not hit the motionless mass bellow it, but rather a mass which had started to fall before the impact of the falling mass occurred.

Methods for Progressive Collapse Analysis of Building Structures Under Blast and Impact Loads

Progressive collapse of building structures under blast and impact loads has attracted great attention all over the world. Progressive collapse analysis is essential for an economic and safe design of building structures against progressive collapse to blast and impact loads. Because of the catastrophic nature of progressive collapse and the potentially high cost of constructing or retrofitting buildings to resist it, it is imperative that the progressive collapse analysis methods be reliable. For engineers, their methodology to carry out progressive collapse evaluation need not only be accurate and concise, but also be easily used and works fast. Thus, many researchers have been spending lots of effort in developing reliable, efficient and straightforward progressive collapse analysis methods recently. In the present paper, current progressive collapse analysis methods available in the literature are reviewed. Their suitability, applicability and reliability are discussed. Our recent proposed new method for progressive collapse analysis of reinforced concrete frames under blast loads is also introduced.

Influence of soil——structure interaction on seismic collapse resistance of super-tall buildings

Numerous field tests indicate that the soilestructure interaction （SSI） has a significant impact on thedynamic characteristics of super-tall buildings, which may lead to unexpected structural seismic responsesand/or failure. Taking the Shanghai Tower with a total height of 632 m as the research object, thesubstructure approach is used to simulate the SSI effect on the seismic responses of Shanghai Tower. Therefined finite element （FE） model of the superstructure of Shanghai Tower and the simplified analyticalmodel of the foundation and adjacent soil are established. Subsequently, the collapse process of ShanghaiTower taking into account the SSI is predicted, as well as its final collapse mechanism. The influences ofthe SSI on the collapse resistance capacity and failure sequences are discussed. The results indicate that,when considering the SSI, the fundamental period of Shanghai Tower has been extended significantly,and the collapse margin ratio has been improved, with a corresponding decrease of the seismic demand.In addition, the SSI has some impact on the failure sequences of Shanghai Tower subjected to extremeearthquakes, but a negligible impact on the final failure modes. 2014 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative investigation on collapse margin of steel high-rise buildings subjected to extremely severe earthquakes

Reponses of structures subjected to severe earthquakes sometimes significantly surpass what was considered in the design.It is important to investigate the failure mechanism and collapse margin of structures beyond design,especially for high-rise buildings.In this study,steel high-rise buildings using either square concrete-filled-tube（CFT） columns or steel tube columns are designed.A detailed three-dimensional（3 D） structural model is developed to analyze the seismic behavior of a steel high-rise towards a complete collapse.The effectiveness is verified by both component tests and a full-scale shaking table test.The collapse margin,which is defined as the ratio of PGA between the collapse level to the design major earthquake level（Level 2）,is quantified by a series of numerical simulations using incremental dynamic analyses（IDA）.The baseline building using CFT columns collapsed with a weak first story mechanism and presented a collapse margin ranging from 10 to 20.The significant variation in the collapse margin was caused by the different characteristics of the input ground motions.The building using equivalent steel columns collapsed earlier due to the significant shortening of the locally buckled columns,exhibiting only 57% of the collapse margin of the baseline building.The influence of reducing the height of the first story was quite significant.The shortened first story not only enlarged the collapse margin by 20%,but also changed the collapse mode.

Seismic pounding and collapse behavior of neighboring buildings with different natural periods

Seismic pounding phenomena, particularly the collision of neighboring buildings under long-period ground motion, are becoming a significant issue in Japan. We focused on a specific apartment structure called the Nuevo Leon buildings in the Tlatelolco district of Mexico City, which consisted of three similar buildings built consecutively with narrow expansion joints between the buildings. Two out of the three buildings collapsed completely in the 1985 Mexican earthquake. Using a finite element code based on the adaptively shifted integration (ASI)-Gauss technique, a seismic pounding analysis is performed on a simulated model of the Nuevo Leon buildings to understand the impact and collapse behavior of structures built near each other. The numerical code used in the analysis provides a higher computational efficiency than the conventional code for this type of problem and enables us to address dynamic behavior with strong nonlinearities, including phenomena such as member fracture and elemental contact. Contact release and recontact algorithms are developed and implemented in the code to understand the complex behaviors of structural members during seismic pounding and the collapse sequence. According to the numerical results, the collision of the buildings may be a result of the difference of natural periods between the neighboring buildings. This difference was detected in similar buildings from the damages caused by previous earthquakes. By setting the natural period of the north building to be 25% longer than the other periods, the ground motion, which hada relatively long period of 2 s, first caused the collision between the north and the center buildings. This collision eventually led to the collapse of the centerbuilding, followed by the destruction of the north building.

Nonlinear Analysis of Progressive Collapse of Reinforced Concrete(RC)Building by Different Kinds of Column Removal

Building collapse mostly can be caused by the loss of loading capacity in a primary structural component,resulting in the failure of surrounding elements,which in turn cause a failure propagation.Progressive collapses may be accidental,due to design deficiencies or errors,material failure or natural phenomenon(e.g.earthquakes)but it can be prevented by upgrade the concrete components’material[1,2].Well-engineered RC buildings generally have a good performance under normal loading conditions.However,faulty design,construction errors,material deterioration,and overloading are always occurred.When part of structure fails,the total load in the whole system will not disappear,which means the load will be redistributed unevenly to the adjacent part of structure.This phenomenon revealed that sustained high stresses in RC elements can lead to catastrophic collapse.Due to very few of papers did the research on the RC elements under high stress level sustained load,relevant experiments should be performed in this area.This paper gives the suggestions about how to apply the load in an experiment if researchers want to know the behavior of elements near to collapse especially focus on RC columns.

Progressive Collapse of Steel Frames

This paper investigates the behavior of steel frames under progressive collapse using the finite element method. Non-linear finite element models have been developed and verified against existing data reported in the literature as well as against tests conducted by the authors. The nonlinear material properties of steel and nonlinear geometry were considered in the finite element models. The validated models were used to perform extensive parametric studies investigating different parameters affecting the behavior of steel frames under progressive collapse. The investigated parameters are comprised of different geometries, different number of stories and different dynamic conditions. The force redistribution and failure modes were evaluated from the finite element analyses, with detailed discussions presented.

Italy Tower Collapse in São Josédo Rio Preto-S.Paulo,Brazil

This paper discusses the collapse of Italy Tower,a 16-storeybuilding,that occurred 10 years after construction,with 10 floors tumbling upside down into a side street.The designed structure and the structure as built were verified and a possible and probable cause was identified.

Coupling effect analysis of dam break flood spread and building collapse based on numerical simulation

Large-scale floods induced by dam failures could cause significant structural damage to buildings and massive loss of life.The coupling effect of large-scale flood spread and building collapse has complex impacts on the entire flow field,affecting flood risk assessment and building vulnerability evaluation.In this paper,a dynamic elevation change model designed to seamlessly interface with a structural vulnerability assessment model to investigate the interaction effect between floods and buildings is presented.The efficiency of the framework was validated by reconstructing the Gleno Dam-Break flood in Italy.Subsequently,a hydrodynamic model of the Jinsha-Yalong River that considers dynamic building collapse was established.The proposed model was compared with two traditional building treatment approaches and one that ignored the buildings.The results show that the interaction between the flood and buildings decreases the low-velocity area(below 1 m/s)by 7.44%-9.56%while increasing the high velocity area(above 4 m/s)by 10.71%-11.96%.Traditional and neglecting building treatments provide preliminary insights into densely built areas,and the latter could be an alternative for simplification because it can represent the worst-case scenario.Building collapse in response to large-scale floods typically occurs in four stages:flood spread,rapid expansion,gradual expansion,and flood recession.This analysis offers novel perspectives on flood prediction and simulations where the floodplain may contain buildings.This method could be useful for assessing structural vulnerability associated with large building stocks and developing flood mitigation strategies in densely populated areas.

Investigation on a mitigation scheme to resist the progressive collapse of reinforced concrete buildings

This study presents the investigation of the approach which was presented by Thaer M.Saeed Alrudaini to provide the alternate load path to redistribute residual loads and preventing from the potential progressive collapse of RC buildings.It was proposed to transfer the residual loads upwards above the failed column of RC buildings by vertical cables hanged at the top to a hat steel braced frame seated on top of the building which in turn redistributes the residual loads to the adjacent columns.In this study a ten-storey regular structural building has been considered to investigate progressive collapse potential.Structural design is based on ACI 318-08 concrete building code for special RC frames and the nonlinear dynamic analysis is carried out using SAP2000 software,following UFC4-023-03 document.Nine independent failure scenarios are adopted in the investigation,including six external removal cases in different floors and three removal cases in the first floor.A new detail is proposed by using barrel and wedge to improve residual forces transfer to the cables after removal of the columns.Simulation results show that progressive collapse of building that resulted from potential failure of columns located in floors can be efficiently resisted by using this method.

Twin lintel belt in steel for seismic strengthening of brick masonry buildings

A single-room,single-storey full-scale brick masonry building with precast RC roofing system was tested thrice under displacement controlled lateral cyclic loading,to assess the effectiveness of the basic repair and seismic strengthening techniques.Initially,the virgin building specimen was loaded laterally to f^tilure.In the second stage,the damaged building was repaired by stitching across the cracks,and tested under the same lateral loading.In the third stage,the twice-damaged structure was repaired once more by stitching and strengthened by twin lintel belt in steel and vertical comer reinforcement, and re-tested.The building strengthened by twin lintel belt in steel showed about 28% higher strength under lateral loading than the virgin building.

A 3-D DDA damage analysis of brick masonry buildings under the impact of boulders in mountainous areas

In mountainous areas, geological disasters carrying large boulders can cause severe damage to the widely used masonry buildings due to the high impact forces. To better understand the damage of brick masonry buildings under the impact of boulders, a "block-joint" model is developed using threedimensional discontinuous deformation analysis(3-D DDA) to simulate the behaviour of the "brick-mortar" structure. The "block-joint" model is used to capture not only the large displacement and deformation of individual bricks but also the large-scale sliding and opening along the mortar between the bricks. The linear elastic constitutive model is applied to account for the non-plastic deformation behaviour of brick materials. Furthermore, the mechanical characteristics of the mortar are represented using the Mohr-Coulomb and Drucker-Prager criteria. To propose safe structural design schemes and effective reinforcement for brick masonry buildings, seven construction techniques are considered, includingdifferent grades of brick and mortar, effective shear areas and reinforced members. The proposed 3-D DDA model is used to analyse the velocity distribution and the key point displacements of the brick masonry building under the impact of boulders. The results show that upgrading the brick and mortar, increasing the wall thickness, making full use of the wall thickness, and adding a circular beam and structural column are very effective approaches for improving the impact resistance of brick masonry buildings.

Visual Analysis of Domestic and Foreign Building Brick Skin Research Based on Citespace

With the progress of the times and the leap of science and technology,the application of brick materials and the research on the brick skin in modern architectural design have shown a dual-track development trend of returning to tradition and innovation.Based on the core collection database resources of Web of Science and the CiteSpace visual analysis tool,this paper constructed and analyzed the spatio-temporal map of keyword co-occurrence network,cluster structure,mutation phenomenon,time course and regional distribution map of building brick skin research.The study revealed that in recent years,the research on brick materials has spanned the study of single material properties and extensively involved in the broad world of construction,especially in the integration of green energy-saving technology,the innovation of fine construction technology of brick skin,and the frontier exploration of digital technology in brick masonry,which has shown particularly significant research vitality and development potential.

The Arckitbuilding Bricks as a Didactic Tool for Experimentation in Architectural Design： Possibilities and Limitations

This article deals with the usage of building bricks as a didactic material for the development of architectural design. The building brick game chosen for analysis was the Arckit, since it is suitable for the architectural practice. It is estimated that this game can contribute to the design, representation and presentation of projects. In order to investigate in which aspects Arckit presents possibilities of applications, as well as limitations of use, the article approaches the importance of building bricks as a didactic tool and its use in the field of the architectural design process. From a literature review and an empirical experience, this article reports a qualitative research, where the applicability of the Arckit game was checked. Through a critical reflection based on that experience, it was possible to conclude that whereas its limitations to urban form and linked to the formal vocabulary that composes the grammar of these bricks, the Arckit building bricks represent in architecture a playful and experimental way to think and design, fomenting the creativity and the spatial perception, resulting in a particular experience that can make architecture better connected with dreams and joy.

Study on Phase Change Material in Grooved Bricks for Energy Efficiency of the Buildings

Phase change materials(PCMs)are an interesting technology due to their high density and isothermal behavior during phase change.Phase change material plays a major role in the energy saving of the buildings,which is greatly aided by the incorporation of phase change material into building products such as bricks,cement,gypsum board,etc.In this study,an experiment has been conducted with three identical small chambers made up of normal,grooved and PCM-treated grooved bricks.Before the inclusion of PCM in grooved bricks,PCM material behavior has been studied by different techniques such as DSC,TG/DTA,SEM,and XRD.Thermal properties and thermal stability were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter(DSC)and thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA)respectively.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)were used to determine the microstructure and crystalloid phase of the PCM before and after the accelerated thermal cycling test(0,60,120).These three identical model rooms built were exposed at a temperature just above 40°C with a heater.When the maximum outdoor temperature was 40-41°C,then the temperature of the PCM-treated grooved chamber was 32-33°C.The PCM-treated wall was tested and compared with a conventional and grooved wall.The difference between the PCM-treated grooved chamber and the untreated one was 8-9°C.PCM-treated bricks provided more efficient internal heat retention in summer when the outside temperature increased.

Airblast evolution initiated by Wangjiayan landslides in the M_(s)8.0 Wenchuan earthquake and its destructive capacity analysis

Airblasts,as one common phenomenon accompanied by rapid movements of landslides or rock/snow avalanches,commonly result in catastrophic damages and are attracting more and more scientific attention.To quantitatively analyze the intensity of airblast initiated by landslides,the Wangjiayan landslide,occurred in the Wenchuan earthquake,is selected here with the landslide propagation and airblast evolution being studied using FLUENT by introducing the Voellmy rheological law.The results reveal that:(1)For the Wangjiayan landslide,its whole travelling duration is only 12 s with its maximum velocity reaching 36 m/s at t=10 s;(2)corresponding to the landslide propagation,the maximum velocity,28 m/s,of the airblast initiated by the landslide also appears at t=10 s with its maximum pressure reaching594.8 Pa,which is equivalent to violent storm;(3)under the attack of airblast,the load suffered by buildings in the airblast zone increases to 1300 Pa at t=9.4 s and sharply decreased to-7000 Pa as the rapid decrease of the velocity of the sliding mass at t=10 s,which is seriously unfavorable for buildings and might be the key reason for the destructive collapse of buildings in the airblast zone of the Wangjiayan landslide.

Uniform-risk-targeted seismic design for collapse safety of building structures

Seismic design should quantitatively evaluate and control the risk of earthquake-induced collapse that a building structure may experience during its design service life. This requires taking into consideration both the collapse resistant capacity of the building and the earthquake ground motion demand. The fundamental concept of uniform-risk-targeted seismic design and its relevant assessment process are presented in this paper. The risks of earthquake-induced collapse for buildings located in three seismic regions with the same prescribed seismic fortification intensity but different actual seismic hazards are analyzed to il- lustrate the engineering significance of uniform-risk-targeted seismic design. The results show that with China＇s current seis- mic design method, the risk of earthquake-induced collapse of buildings varies greatly from site to site. Additional research is needed to further develop and implement the uniform-risk-targeted seismic design aoDroach oronnsed in thi~ nnner

Designing with Building Bricks and Shape Grammar

This paper correlates the use of building blocks with the shape grammar theory in the design process. The main goal is to present the potentialities of the various building blocks, which combined with Shape grammar can contribute to the creative process, particularly for the formal composition in the field of Architecture, Urbanism and Design. The methodology is based on a literature review and reflections derived from the observations of the use of the building blocks during experiments carried out in the scope of research with students of the undergraduate course in Architecture and Urbanism. Starting from the discussions proposed by George Stiny on design with Froebel’s buildings gifts and from experiments with other building blocks, such as Archbricks, it is found that building blocks have their own vocabulary and rules, which can be appropriated and exploited by designers in the construction of new shape grammars.

Finite Element Modeling Of Low Heat Conducting Building Bricks

Heat conduction through conventional and interlocking building bricks with cavities was studied in this work. Heat transfer analysis was carried out using MATLAB? partial differential equation toolbox. Regular and staggered hole arrangements were studied. Results showed that four staggered holed interlocking bricks were effective in thermal resistance into the bricks and increasing the holes beyond four did not give any thermal resistance advantage. For the conventional bricks staggered holes did not give any thermal resistance advantage but the four-holed bricks were also adjudged to be effective in thermal resistance into the brick surface. Increasing the number of holes beyond four in conventional bricks did give some thermal resistivity advantage but very minimal. Structural strengths of holed bricks were not considered in this study.

Effects of NaOH Concentrations on Properties of the Thermal Power Plant Ashes-Bricks by Alkaline Activation

The use of the thermal power plant ashes including fly ash(FA) and bottom ash(BA) for producing unfired building bricks(UBB) using sodium hydroxide(NaOH) solution as an alkaline activator was investigated. A low applied forming pressure of 0.5 MPa and various NaOH concentrations of 5, 8, 10, and 12 M were used for the preparation of brick samples with different solution-to-binder(S/B) ratios of 0.35 and 0.40. The bricks were subjected to various test programs with reflecting the effect of both NaOH concentrations and S/B ratios on the brick’s properties. The compressive strength, unit weight, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and thermal conductivity of bricks increased with increasing NaOH concentration, whereas the contrary trend was found with increasing S/B ratio. Also, the water absorption of bricks was observed to reduce with increasing NaOH concentration and decreasing S/B ratio. As the results, the combined utilization of both low forming pressure and coal power plant ashes can produce the UBBs with low unit weight, low heat conductivity, and acceptable strength and water absorption rate as stipulated by TCVN 6477-2016. Furthermore, the outcomes of chemical analysis and microstructure observation also demonstrate that a high concentration of the Na OH promoted the geopolymerization process. Notably, the use of NaOH solution of either 10 M or above is recommended for the production of UBBs, which are classified as grade M5.0 or higher.