Structural Robustness Provisions in Modern Design Codes and Regulations
Tomme: LVII (LXI) Fascicle: 4 | 2011
Pages: 53-64
Abstract text:
The concept of structural robustness received significant attention for the first time about forty years ago, after the partial collapse of Ronan Point building in UK. In the recent years, the interest for studying the robustness of structures has intensified and significant research activities have been carried out for achieving a better understanding on the various aspects implied by this new concept in civil engineering domain. These efforts resulted in a set of several useful recommendations regarding the possibilities to achieve robust structures. The need for studying the concept of robustness appeared from the fact that structural design codes are predominantly based on the design of structural members or the consideration of individual member failure modes. Modern structural design codes and regulations contain only some general requirements for robustness, beside the more specific provisions regarding the structural safety, serviceability and durability. These robustness requirements generally state that the consequence of damages to structures should not be disproportionate to their causes. Although the robustness concept is very important for structural design, specific requirements are actually still not underlined in such a comprehensive way in current building codes. This paper summarizes the revised definitions and provisions regarding the structural robustness implemented in some modern design codes and regulations.
Key Words:
structural safety; disproportionate collapse; vulnerability; risk assessment; theoretical framework
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