Collaborative Research: Project IBORC: Interaction between Building and Occupant Responses during Collapse

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

Collaborative Research: Project IBORC: Interaction between Building and Occupant Responses during Collapse Abstract The primary objective of this project is to conduct a multidisciplinary investigation ? at the intersection of structural engineering, social science, and computer science ? of how building occupants respond to signals issued by a building during and immediately after a compromising event that threatens its integrity. Other secondary objectives are to investigate: 1) how the response of victims is modulated by their social conditions at the time of the incident; and 2) the influence of a building?s structural system on building collapse response and occupant survival rates. Computational simulation models will be developed to represent building collapse and Agent Based Models (ABMs) will be used to model human response within the building models. Existing information will be sought in an effort to formulate basic rules that govern human response during times of extreme danger. The developed models will be calibrated and validated by comparisons to well documented events that involved building collapse. The developed models will then be used to clarify how building occupants respond during emergencies through extensive parametric simulations. The models will also be used to investigate how buildings collapse and to identify the means by which to mitigate building failure and its effects. This project will lead to the education of a new generation of researchers skilled in inter-disciplinary research. The project will furthermore contribute to the state-of-the-art in hazards research by developing knowledge that could form the basis of public education and awareness programs to help building occupants, their rescuers and city officials respond appropriately during extreme events.