RAPID: Collection of Perishable Data on Wood-Frame Building Failure Mechanisms During the 2011 Tuscaloosa Alabama Tornado

这项研究的目的是收集和存档结构系统的易腐损坏数据，以确定木材住宅建筑的失效机制后，星期三，2011年4月27日塔斯卡卢萨，AL龙卷风。该项目将研究龙卷风对许多现有住宅结构造成灾难性损失的建筑物损坏模式。 一个由结构工程学院、木材科学家和学生组成的多所大学志愿者小组将在整个龙卷风中进行法医调查？主要的研究假设是，实施类似于飓风易发地区住宅木结构的结构改进是否也可以改善龙卷风易发地区的住房。数据收集方法将包括主动和被动收集方法，这些方法将确定结构破坏程度，并绘制破坏的总体轮廓，显示整个龙卷风路径的最大力量水平。这些观察将有助于对龙卷风力量的空间特征提供新的知识。结构故障将被分类为构件故障或连接故障，并记录每种类型（特别是屋顶到墙壁连接）的流行程度。 所调查的损坏模式将揭示可见碎片云直径与地面极高吸力带之间的关系。该项目将产生1）一个可供工程研究界使用的住宅建筑损坏等级和故障机制的公开数据库，以及2）龙卷风路径内损坏强度分布（EF尺度）的估计。这些结果是必不可少的现场数据集评估社区的脆弱性，从龙卷风和支持数据开发现实的改造技术，龙卷风弹性住房。从事该项目的研究生也将接触到风工程方面独特的教育经验。

The objective of the research is to collect and archive perishable damage data on structural systems to determine failure mechanisms in wood residential buildings following the Wednesday, April 27 2011 Tuscaloosa, AL tornado. The project will study the building damage patterns in a tornado that caused catastrophic loss to many existing residential structures. A multi-university team of volunteers, consisting of structural engineering faculty, wood scientists and students will conduct forensic investigations throughout the tornado?s damage path. The main research hypothesis is whether implementing structural improvements similar to those adopted in hurricane-prone regions for residential wood structures can also improve housing in tornado-prone regions. The data collection methodology will include both active and passive collection methods, which will establish the level of structural damage and develop general contours of damage showing the maximum force levels throughout the tornado track.These observations will contribute new knowledge on spatial characteristics of tornado force. Structural failures will be categorized into member failure or connection failure, and the prevalence of each type (particularly of roof-to-wall-connection) will be documented. The surveyed damage pattern will reveal the relationship between the visible debris cloud diameter and the swath of extreme high suction on the ground. The project will yield 1) a publicly-available database of residential buildings damage ratings and failure mechanisms that can readily be used by the engineering research community and 2) an estimation of damage intensity distribution (EF-scale) within the tornado track. These results are essential field dataset for evaluating community vulnerability from tornadoes and as support data for developing realistic retrofit techniques for tornado-resilient housing. The graduate students working on this project will also be exposed to unique educational experience in wind engineering.