Structural Engineering for Extreme Loads

To commemorate 10 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Journal of Structural Engineering has published the special issue "Commemorating 10 Years of Research Since 9/11", focusing on research that was motivated by the impacts of events of that day.  

In response to the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, the damage and collapse of neighboring structures and the damage to the Pentagon, national organizations and structural engineers have performed substantial amounts research in the area of progressive collapse with an emphasis on the response of structures to extreme loads. The goal of this research is to provide the means to design more robust and redundant structures that can resist progressive collapse under extreme loads, such as blast, impact, and fire, by considering both member and system response to extreme events and increasing the database of experimental results. The papers in this issue are a rich source of information and a state-of-the-art representation of structural engineering for extreme loads. 

To mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11, ASCE is making these articles openly available to the public for a limited time.   

Topics include:  

• Resilient and robust building design to resist progressive collapse. 
• Experimental and analytical investigations of progressive collapse. 
• Analytical and probabilistic side of progressive collapse. 
• Structural effects of removed or damaged spray fire protection during fire. 
• Combined axial load and moment conditions of columns subjected to fire loading.   
• Procedure to predict the behavior of the perimeter column during fire. 
• Structural behavior of thin composite floor systems to combined gravity loads and fire loading.   
• Ultimate behavior of lightly reinforced concrete floor slabs under extreme loading conditions.   

Commemorating 10 Years of Research Since 9/11 is a joint effort of the Fire Protection and Structural Members Committees of the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Technical Activities Division.

Related Publications 

	Blast Protection of Buildings (59-11)  This new Standard provides minimum requirements for planning, design, construction, and assessment of new and existing buildings subject to the effects of accidental or malicious explosions.
	Pentagon Building Performance Report  This report presents the significant findings of a building performance team that investigated the structural damage sustained by the Pentagon after an airplane was crashed into it on September 11, 2001.
	World Trade Center Building Performance Study  This study presents observations, findings, and recommendations regarding the performance of buildings affected by the September 11 attacks on the WTC towers in New York City.

Design of Blast-Resistant Buildings in Petrochemical Facilities, Second Edition 

This report provides general guidelines for the structural design of blast-resistant petrochemical facilities. Information is provided regarding U.S. OSHA requirements, design objectives, siting considerations, and load determination.

Guidelines for Roving Security Inspections in Public Venues Using Explosives Detection Dogs 

Based upon best practices for security in mass transit and expanded to include other public venues, these guidelines present the current thinking of experts in the field.

Structural Design for Physical Security: State of the Practice 

This manual provides engineers with the technical data necessary to design civil structures to resist the effects of terrorist bombings.

Lessons from the Oklahoma City Bombing: Defensive Design Techniques 

This book describes principles and practical methods for deterring explosive threats and mitigating damage for both new and existing buildings.