Analyzing Collapse

This book explores the long-term trends in the development of what was the first complex civilization in history, the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2650–2200 BC), the period that saw the construction of eternal monuments such as Djoser’s Step Pyramid complex in Saqqara, the pyramids of the great Fourth Dynasty kings in Giza, and spectacular tombs of high officials throughout Egypt. The present study aims to show that the historical trajectory of the period was marked by specific processes that characterize most of the world’s civilizations: the role of the ruling elite, the growth of bureaucracy, the proliferation of interest groups, and adaptation to climate change, to name but a few—and the way that these processes held the germ of ultimate collapse. The case is made that the rise and fall of the Old Kingdom state is of relevance to the study of the anatomy of development of any complex civilization.

The analysis of the vulnerability of buildings against progressive collapse is a challenging task. Progressive Collapse of Structures: Numerical Codes and Applications provides a variety of numerical analysis tools and methods which allow engineers to simulate structural collapse behavior during all stages of the process This book covers methods such as adaptively shifted integration and ASI-Gauss. Algorithms are supplied to simulate fracture and contact behaviors. The author also supplies simple numerical examples including case studies from the World Trade Center (WTC) towers in New York City, Nuevo Leon buildings in Mexico, and the collapse of the Canterbury Television (CTV) building in New Zealand Provides algorithms for simulating fracture and contact behaviors of structural members Covers fire-induced progressive collapse analyses for high-rise towers Provides codes for simulating seismic pounding phenomena, blast demolition and fire-induced progressive collapse

American scholar Jared Diamond deploys his powers of interpretation to great effect in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, which seeks to understand the meaning behind the available evidence describing societies that have survived and those that have withered and died. Why, for example, did the Norsemen of Scandinavia who colonized Greenland in the early tenth century not survive, while the inhabitants of Highland New Guinea did? With the evidence to hand, Diamond notes that a society’s collapse tends to be preceded by a severe reduction in population and considerable decreases in political, economic and social complexity. Delving even deeper, Diamond isolates five major factors determine the success or failure of human societies in all periods of history: environmental degradation, which occurs when an ecosystem deteriorates as its resources are exhausted; climate change (natural or man-made); hostile neighbors; weakened trading partners; and access or otherwise to the resources that enable the society to adapt its challenges. The breadth of Diamond’s research provides the springboard from which to reach these definitions, but it inevitably also introduces complications; how can evidence produced by specialists in so many different disciplines be compared? Diamond’s ability to understand the meaning of the evidence at hand – and his readiness to seek and supply clarifications of meaning where necessary – underpin his achievement, and comprise a textbook example of how interpretative skills can provide a framework for strong critical thinking.

As our society confronts the impacts of globalization and global systemic risks—such as financial contagion, climate change, and epidemics—what can studies of the past tell us about our present and future? How Worlds Collapse offers case studies of societies that either collapsed or overcame cataclysmic adversity. The authors in this volume find commonalities between past civilizations and our current society, tracing patterns, strategies, and early warning signs that can inform decision-making today. While today’s world presents unique challenges, many mechanisms, dynamics, and fundamental challenges to the foundations of civilization have been consistent throughout history—highlighting essential lessons for the future.

In recent decades, Bolivia, Colombia, Italy, and Venezuela have all faced the turmoil and democratic crisis of party system collapse. In Bankrupt Representation and Party System Collapse, Jana Morgan analyzes the causes of such collapse. She does so through a detailed examination of Venezuela’s traumatic party system decay as well as comparative analysis of seven other countries. Collapse occurs when the party system as a whole is unable to provide adequate linkage between society and the state, failing to furnish programmatic representation, integration of major societal interests, or clientelist exchanges. Linkage decays when party systems face challenges that jeopardize their core strategies at the same time that they are constrained in their ability to adapt and to confront these threats. If this decay is unchecked and linkage of all sorts fails, then the bankrupt party system collapses.

1. General collapse information 2. Terms of construction and building design 3. Building construction: firefighting problems and structural hazards 4. Masonry wall collapse 5. Collapse dangers of parapet walls 6. Wood floor collapse 7. Sloping peak roof collapse 8. Timber truss roof collapse 9. Flat roof collapse 10. Lightweight steel roof and floor collapse 11. Lightweight wood truss collapse 12. Ceiling collapse 13. Stairway collapse 14. Fire escape dangers 15. Wood-frame building collapse 16. Collapse hazards of buildings under construction 17. Collapse caused by master stream operations 18. Search-and-rescue at a building collapse 19. Safety precautions prior to collapse 20. Why the World Trade Center Towers collapsed 21. High-rise building collapse 22. Post-fire analysis 23. Early floor collapse EPILOGUE: Are architects, engineers, and code-writing officials friends of the firefighters?

Inhaltsangabe:Introduction: This dissertation is an investigation into the behaviour of externally prestressed structures, focusing on bridge box girders, at the ultimate limit state. The main objective is the ductility and the tendon stress increase up to failure of externally prestressed structures. Their behaviour will be compared to internally prestressed structures. The dissertation may have valuable information for the first stages of the design process for medium span bridges as the study is concerned about the overall safety and efficiency of prestressed concrete bridges by the means of ductility. The aim is also to provide information about the tendon stress at failure, which is required for the detailed design. Inhaltsverzeichnis:Inhaltsverzeichnis: AcknowledgementsVIII NotationIX 1.Introduction1 1.1Definitions1 1.2Significance of this study3 1.3Scope of the project5 1.4Historical overview and typical characteristics of external prestressing6 1.5Further structural applications of external prestressing9 2.Behaviour of externally prestressed structures10 2.1Tendon layout considerations10 2.2Behaviour at serviceability stage12 2.3Fatigue problems14 2.4Behaviour at ultimate limit stage14 2.4.1Influence of tendon slip on the ultimate limit state18 2.4.2Influence of the arrangement of the deviators on the behaviour at ultimate limit state19 2.4.3Influence of simply support and continuous support on the ultimate limit state20 2.4.4Precast segmental and monolithic bridges21 3.Collapse analysis23 3.1Investigated bridge types and their differences23 3.2Original bridge data28 3.3Simplified bridge data as basis for the calculations30 3.4FE Calculation32 3.4.1Technical aspects33 3.4.2General approach34 3.4.3Geometric model39 3.4.4Element specifications40 3.4.5Constitutive models45 3.4.6Ordinary reinforcement59 3.4.7Prestress60 3.4.8Material and geometric non-linearity63 3.4.9Kinematic constraints66 3.4.10Discrete crack propagation analysis of the precast segmental type with gap elements68 3.4.11Summary of the dividing features of the different structure types for the FE analysis72 4.Results73 4.1Load deflection behaviour73 4.2Tendon stress increase up to failure76 4.3Other results78 5.Discussion of the results85 5.1Interpretation of the results85 5.2Discussion of the exactness of the FE calculations by comparing to the full scale test89 5.3Comparison to other FE calculations and test results93 6.Conclusion and [...]

F33615-69-C-1523AF-1467AFFDLTR-71-8-Vol-2See also report dated Aug 72, AD-751 702.(*shells(structural forms), failure(mechanics)), (*computer programming, instruction manuals), structural properties, loads(forces), buckling, plastic properties, bodies of revolution, subroutinesnewton-raphson method, collapse, programming manuals, finite difference theory, *stags computer program, structural analysisThe manual presents STAGS, a comprehensive computer code. STAGS is intended for the static analysis of arbitrary shells including the effects of nonlinearities caused by material behavior and finite deformations. Collapse loads based on nonlinear analysis can be computed as well as buckling loads based on classical bifurcation buckling theory with linear prestress. Arbitrary thermal and mechanical loadings can be specified. The manual rpovides instructions for use of the code and presents sample problems and solutions. The program is under development and the version presented here is expected to be updated in 1973. The previous report, Volume 1 (AD-751 702), contains the numerical analysis.