- Author
-
Somes, Norman F.
- Title
- Abnormal Loading on Buildings and Progressive Collapse Interim Report. November 1971-August 1972.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Sponsor
- Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NBSIR 73-221,
May 1973,
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
residential buildings; dynamic loads; hazardous materials; explosions; gases; sabotage; accident investigation; design criteria; collapse
- Identifiers
- NBS
- Abstract
- The report is an interim report of ongoing studies at the National Bureau of Standards. It defines the several aspects of abnormal loading on buildings and the problem of progressive collapse. It documents the extent to which present U. S. Codes and Standards address the problem. Abnormal loadings are identified, classified and discussed with regard to their characteristics and frequencies of occurrence. The report reviews the state of international knowledge of the characteristics of abnormal loadings and the response of buildings and building elements to these loadings. The latter includes discussion of several incidents of which multistory buildings have collapsed progressively. Using currently available statistics an estimate is made of the combined frequency of abnormal loadings on residential buildings in the U. S. (Modified author abstract)