New Methods for Progressive Collapse Testing and Simulation

The potential for progressive collapse of buildings damaged by terrorist blasts represents a significant risk to building occupants. There is a need for software tools that assess the potential for progressive collapse of above ground structures. These tools should run quickly and accurately predict the collapsed region of a damaged structure. These tools would be of great value to security planners, building designers and First Responders. The challenges to developing accurate, fast running models of the complex phenomenon that control progressive collapse is compounded by the lack of progressive collapse test data for validating simulation tools and methods. Progressive collapse testing of small scale buildings in a centrifuge provides a cost effective approach to address the lack of full scale test data for validating software tools and methods. This proposal lays out a development plan that combines subscale testing (1/12th to 1/18th scale) with high fidelity modeling to produce a fast running progressive collapse assessment tool that is validated and meets the needs of the counter-terror community.