We report on a simulation study of the performance of the North Tower (WTC-I) of the World Trade Center complex during the impact of American Airline Flight 11, on September 11, 2001. We discuss impact damage the structural core might have sustained and its possible behavior under structural and thermal loading. Our simulations indicate that the worst damage to the core structure was in stories...

Surface and structural darnage to plasma-facing components (PFCS) due to the frequent loss of plasma confinement remains a serious problem for the tokamak reaetor concept. The deposited plasma energy causes significant surface erosion, possible ~ structural failure, and frequent plasma contamination. vaporization, spa.llation, and liquid splatter of metallic Surface darnage consists of material...

Many current damage detection techniques rely on the skill and experience of a trained inspector and also require a priori knowledge about the structure’s properties. However, this study presents adaptation of several change point analysis techniques for their performance in civil engineering damage detection. Literature shows different statistical approaches which are developed for detection o...

Heated styling appliances, such as straightening irons, have grown in popularity in recent years, as have hair products such as heat-protection sprays. In this study we investigate whether the water in a heat-protection spray can affect the level of damage caused by heat styling. Tryptophan damage from heat styling was measured using fluorescence spectroscopy, and structural damage was investig...

In this study, a novel approach to the characterization of structural damage in civil structures is presented. The proposed method is scalable, automated, and well suited to implementation within a low power, low cost wireless sensing network. Structural damage often results in subtle changes to structural stiffness and damping properties that are manifested by changes in the location of transf...

In 1998, we measured the effects of Hurricane Georges after it passed over long-term research sites in Puerto Rican dry forest. Our primary objectives were to quantify hurricane effects on forest structure, to compare effects in a large tract of forest versus a series of nearby forest fragments, to evaluate short-term response to hurricane disturbance in terms of mortality and sprouting, and to...

This paper presents a scientific basis for the description of the causes of damage within an irreversible thermodynamic framework and the effects of damage as observable variables that signify degradation of structural integrity. The approach relies on the fundamentals of irreversible thermodynamics and specifically the notion of entropy generation as a measure of degradation and damage. We fir...

The process of implementing and maintaining a structural health monitoring system consists of operational evaluation, data processing, damage detection, and life prediction of structures. This process involves the observation of a structure over a period of time using continuous or periodic monitoring of spaced measurements, the extraction of features from these measurements, and the analysis o...