Progressive collapse of framed structures is a complex topic going beyond the usual tools of structural mechanics. The analogy with the propagation of damage in the framework of fracture mechanics has already brought some theoretical results, especially when the energy fluxes are analyzed. Nevertheless, the difficulty to get representative experimental data avoids proposing and eventually provi...

The introduction of finite element analysis (FEA) into orthopaedic biomechanics allowed continuum structural analysis of bone and bone-implant composites of complicated shapes (Huiskes and Chao, J. Biomechanics, Vol. 16, 1983, pp. 385-409). However, besides having complicated shapes, musculoskeletal tissues are hierarchical composites with multiple structural levels that adapt to their mechanic...

The paper is devoted to the development of a non overlapping Domain Decomposition method adapted to granular dynamics. The formulation and the efficiency of such a method are well established for structural mechanics. In order to extend this approach to granular systems a so-called primal splitting of the domain is chosen because it is a less intrusive method for software development. Once the ...

This paper discusses the use of fracture mechanics for the microstructure tailoring of a fiber reinforced Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) to achieve extreme tensile ductility at the composite scale. It demonstrates that fracture mechanics applied to control fracture phenomena at the micro and meso material scales can lead to suppression of fracture failure at the macro structural scale....

A quantitative assessment of uncertainties in load, geometrical and material properties by using probabilistic and stochastic analysis is discussed. This allows a rational determination of the propagation of uncertainties through structural systems and ultimately reliability assessment.

In this paper the need for a rational treatment of uncertainties in structural mechanics and analysis is reasoned. It is shown that the traditional deterministic conception can be easily extended by applying statistical and probabilistic concepts. The so-called Monte Carlo simulation procedure is the key for those developments, as it allows the straightforward use of the currently used determin...