Related papers: The Crush-Down Equation for Non-Constant Velocity …
Ba\v{z}ant et al. have proposed a model of a gravity-driven collapse of a tall building which collapses in a progressive-floor collapse after the failure of a single storey. The model allows the re-computation of the structural resistance…
A model of a gravity-driven collapse of a tall building has been proposed by Ba\v{z}ant et al. We apply this model to the collapse of the North Tower of the World Trade Center to determine the energy dissipation per storey during the…
We examine four WTC 7 descent curves, labeled "C," "E," "N," and "O," either anonymously published, or confidentially communicated to us. Descent curve describes apparent height of a collapsing building as a function of time. The set "C"…
We derive discrete and continuous class of mathematical models that describe a progressive collapse in a fictional one-dimensional structure, where we consider plastic and elastic types of collisions. We examine static (collapse initiation…
When a falling ball chain strikes a surface, a tension is created that pulls the chain downward. This causes a downward acceleration that is larger than free-fall, which has been observed by recent experiments. Here a theoretical…
The Simple Collapse Model of Ba\v{z}ant and Zhou is evaluated for a progressive floor collapse of a tall building. A sequence of energy estimates indexed by the collapsing floors is derived. Each of the estimates gives a sufficient…
In this paper we use Newton's 3rd law to deduce the simplest model of an object that can perform a standing vertical jump -- a two-segmented object with an initial constant repulsive force between the segments, followed by an abrupt…
The asymptotic behavior of geometry near the boundary of maximal Cauchy development is studied using a perturbative method, which at the zeroth order reduces Einstein's equations to an exactly solvable set of equations---Einstein's…
The collision-free velocity model is a microscopic pedestrian model, which despite its simplicity, reproduces fairly well several self-organization phenomena in pedestrian dynamics. The model consists of two components: a direction…
Traffic breakdown, as one of the most puzzling traffic flow phenomena, is characterized by sharply decreasing speed, abruptly increasing density and in particular suddenly plummeting capacity. In order to clarify its root mechanisms and…
The experiment consists of counting and measuring the size of the many fragments observed after the fall of a mercury drop on the floor. The size distribution follows a power-law for large enough fragments. We address the question of a…
Although rare, collisions of two or more bodies in the N-body problem are apparent obstacles at which Newton's Law of Gravity ceases to make sense. Without understanding the nature of collisions, a complete understanding of the N-body…
Numerous theories of failure have been postulated and implemented in various commercial programs for composite materials. Even the best theories have had limited success in predicting damage and failure in validation exercises. In view of…
In this paper, we present our conclusions from the numerical study of the collapse of a destabilized collisionless stellar system. We use both direct integration of the Vlasov-Poisson equations and an N-body tree code to obtain our results,…
We derive a mathematical model of progressive collapse and examine role of compaction. Contrary to a previous result by Ba\v{z}ant and Verdure, J. Engr. Mech. ASCE 133 (2006) 308, we find that compaction slows down the avalanche by…
We investigate the breakdown of disordered networks under the action of an increasing external---mechanical or electrical---force. We perform a mean-field analysis and estimate scaling exponents for the approach to the instability. By…
Motion by (weighted) mean curvature is a geometric evolution law for surfaces, representing steepest descent with respect to (an)isotropic surface energy. It has been proposed that this motion could be computed by solving the analogous…
The basic strategy underlying models of spontaneous wave function collapse (collapse models) is to modify the Schroedinger equation by including nonlinear stochastic terms, which tend to localize wave functions in space in a dynamical…
Collapse, or a gravitational-like phase transition is studied in a microcanonical ensemble of particles with an attractive $1/r^{\alpha}$ potential. A mean field continuous integral equation is used to determine a saddle-point density…
Fast and accurate structural dynamics analysis is important for structural design and damage assessment. Structural dynamics analysis leveraging machine learning techniques has become a popular research focus in recent years. Although the…