Research on structural robustness through large-scale testing

As a result of the persistent occurrence and apparently increasing frequency of catastrophic structural failures, recent years have been marked by a growing body of literature on progressive collapse and structural robustness. At present, the vast majority of these studies focus on computational simulations and laboratory testing of reduced-scale sub-assemblages. Although many vital aspects of structural behaviour under extreme conditions have been uncovered through such research, these strategies are characterised by significant limitations which can only be overcome through full-scale testing of real structures. This article presents some of the major research works performed in this regard by the Building Resilient research group from the ICITECH institute of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. The most important works related to temporary shoring of buildings, cast-in-place and precast reinforced concrete building structures, steel truss bridges, and fuse-segmented buildings are presented together with the most significant results achieved so far.