Endure: Fuse-based segmentation design: Avoiding failure propagation in building structures
Principal researcher:
JOSE M. ADAM
Team members:
- MANUEL BUITRAGO
- NIRVAN MAKOOND
- ANDRI SETIAWAN
- GIACOMO CAREDDA
- DIEGO F. CETINA
- LORENZO MARÍN
- MARIA L. GERBAUDO
- MARINA OLIVER
Funding Agency:
Duration: 01/01/2022 – 31/12/2026
Reference: 101000396
Abstract
Extreme events often cause local-initial damage to the critical elements of building structures, triggering a cascade of further failures in the rest of the building, a phenomenon known as “progressive collapse”. Current design philosophies are based on providing buildings with extensive continuity so that when a critical element fails, its load can be redistributed among the rest of the structure. However, in certain situations (e.g. initial failure of several columns), this extensive continuity introduces undesirable effects and can actually increase the risk of progressive collapse. Segmenting a building into different parts connected only by means of structural fuses would prevent a failure in one zone from propagating to others. While such fuses would provide continuity for normal loads or small local-initial failure, they would “isolate” the different parts of the building when, otherwise, the forces generated by the initial failure would pull down the rest of the structure. Although fuse-based segmentation is probably the only alternative that can overcome the limitations of present design philosophies, so far, no studies have been carried out on the possibility of implementing it in buildings.
Endure aims to develop a novel fuse-based segmentation design approach to limit or arrest the propagation of failures in building structures subjected to extreme events.
The project will be multidisciplinary and highly ambitious and will achieve its overall aim by 1) Developing a performance-based framework for the design of fuse-segmented buildings; 2) Designing, manufacturing and testing fuses for segmenting buildings; and 3) Implementing fuses in segmented realistic building prototypes and testing and validating the new fuse-based approach in these structures.
Endure will open up a new research area and design approach while alsodelivering novel construction procedures. The project will lead to safer buildings, especially in the case of extreme events with severe consequences for building integrity.