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Building collapse control system and methodBuilding collapse control system and method description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060037257, Building collapse control system and method. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This invention relates to prevention of the catastrophic/avalanche collapse of tall buildings. [0002] There is an increasing need in the construction industry to modify tall buildings to such a level that they can withstand extreme damage without such damage leading to complete collapse of the building. In the construction industry, there is a widely held view that this is impossible to achieve in a cost effective and space efficient manner. [0003] Where severe damage occurs to an intermediate level of a multiple storey building, the situation can arise whereby the damaged structure is unable to support the section of the building above the damaged area. As a consequence, this upper undamaged section of the building collapses onto the lower undamaged section of the building. The increased loading on this lower section is then too large to be maintained by the skeleton framework of the building and further collapse ensues. This chain of collapse can continue unchecked until the entire building is completely destroyed, effectively collapsing in a chain reaction. [0004] The present invention seeks to prevent this form of collapse. [0005] According to the present invention there is provided a method for controlling the collapse of a building having multiple floors, the method comprising the steps of: [0006] providing at least one load-bearing strut between at least one set of adjacent floors and attached to the load-bearing structure of the building, the strut being constructed such that, under building collapse conditions, it absorbs enough of the energy released during collapse of the building to control the rate of collapse of the building to reduce damage thereto. [0007] According to the present invention there is further provided a collapse control system, for a building having multiple floors, the system comprising at least one load-bearing strut located between at least one set of adjacent floors of the building, the strut being attached to the load bearing structure of the building, the strut being constructed such that, under collapse conditions, it absorbs enough of the energy released during collapse of the building to control the rate of collapse of the building to reduce damage thereto. [0008] The strut may comprise an outer housing, this housing may be telescopic such that it reduces in length under particular loading conditions. Alternatively the housing may be designed to buckle in a controlled manner or to form an inversion tube under load conditions. [0009] The struts may be incorporated into the original structure of a building forming an integral part of the framework or they may be added retrospectively to an older building. They may be designed such that, upon collapse of the building, a survival space is maintained between adjacent floors of the building. This survival space may be, for example, approximately half of the height of the floor spacing of the original, undamaged building. [0010] The struts are preferably hollow in configuration and include a further means for absorbing energy. The struts may include a crushable core material which may be formed from an open or a closed cell filler material. The structure of such a filler may be one of the group of foam, honeycomb, eggbox or a number of individual crushable elements may be used, such as buckling tubes. A homogeneous porous material may also provide a suitable crushable medium. Suitable materials may be metal (such as copper, aluminium, steel), polymer or ceramic (such as concrete), or a combination thereof. [0011] The strut may further contain water which has a two-fold benefit, firstly to improve the thermal transfer properties of the housing material and secondly, the fire mitigation properties of the water can be utilised upon failure of the housing material. Valves may be incorporated in the strut housing to assist water distribution from the core of the struts. Alternatively, a water jacket could be incorporated into the strut to provide similar benefits. [0012] Energy absorption means for the core of the strut may be provided by a mechanism which utilises a set of wires to be stretched or by manipulation of metal rods around a series of rollers within the strut. [0013] The system may comprise plural struts, and in such a case stability of the collapse control system may be enhanced by interconnecting liquid filled regions of the struts such that multiple distributed struts are reduced in length at the same rate. [0014] The housing may further comprise mechanical stops at regular intervals which support the static loading but fail under the increased dynamic loading associated with collapse. Internal column dividers may also be introduced to separate the core material into cells, this not only helps to prevent transmission of stress waves through the entire length of a strut but also eliminates the possibility of significant creep in the core material over the life of the building. [0015] An example of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0016] FIG. 1 shows partial views of a building using the present invention; [0017] FIG. 2 illustrates alternative configurations for a telescoping strut for use in the present invention; [0018] FIG. 3 illustrates alternative energy absorbing mechanisms of a strut for use in the present invention; [0019] FIG. 4 illustrates further alternative energy absorption mechanisms for use in the present invention; [0020] FIG. 5 illustrates operation of struts for use in the present invention involving the use of water; [0021] FIG. 6 illustrates interconnected hydraulic systems according to the invention; [0022] FIG. 7 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a building having an integral strut for use in the present invention; [0023] FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of a system according to the present invention that is formed integral with a building; [0024] FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of a further system according to the present invention which is formed integral with a building; [0025] FIGS. 10 to 12 are schematic views of example components for employment in a system according to the present invention which employs active control; Continue reading about Building collapse control system and method... 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