Nonlinear analysis tools for rapid assessment of structural resilience

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In 2011, large earthquakes and natural disasters in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Japan demonstrated that existing structures are not yet sufficiently resilient to survive extreme events. One thing that was learned from both disasters but particularly from the New Zealand one is that immediately after a major event, there is significant confusion about which reinforced and prestressed concrete structures can be immediately returned to service, which should be temporarily closed and which should be permanently closed and demolished. Why this is of critical importance is that additional events, such as aftershocks, will occur after the initial event and can cause damaged buildings to collapse. In this project it is proposed develop an analysis tool that will allow rapid assessment of the safety of structures after an extreme event has occurred. To do this, the analysis needs to have a carefully reduced number of equations to solve as existing methods, while generally accurate, take too long to perform for after-the-event calculations that are desired. Recent advances allow this type of efficiency to be capitalized on for the first time for structural analysis and design. In addition to allowing rapid diagnosis of structural problems, the same tool will allow design engineers to engage in performance based design. This means that more innovative structural systems can be numerically experimented with to determine how newer designs and newer materials, such as FRP, will affect the overall structure. This project will employ six students over 5 years to develop the system and then use it to further their knowledge of structural behaviour. This will make the Canadian engineering firms that employ them, and which use the new tools, better able to compete in the global engineering market.