This thesis develops a new type of approach to structural robustness, working on geometrical considerations only. It allows the integration of constitutive dimensions of structural robustness at the earliest steps of the design process. Based on graphic statics and strut-and-tie modelling, the method develops a visual robustness indicator...

Robustness is the ability to survive unforeseen circumstances without undue damage or loss of function. It has become a requirement expressed in modern building codes, mostly without much advice as to how it can be achieved. Engineering has developed some approaches based on traditional practice as well as recent insight. However, knowledge about robustness remains scattered and ambiguous, making it difficult to apply to many specific cases. The author's attempt to collect and review elements, methods and strategies toward structural robustness, using a holistic, almost philosophical approach. This leads to a set of considerations to guide selection and implementation of measures in specific cases, followed by a collection of applications and examples from the authors practice. The world, engineering and construction are imperfect and not entirely predictable. Robustness provides a measure of structural safety beyond traditional codified design rules.

Robustness varies highly between applications and consequently it is difficult to precisely quantify. However, robustness is a property of a structural system and thus can be described as a function of its form; in other words, as a function of topology, geometry and member properties. This thesis investigates the relationship between both a structure's geometry and topology, and robustness. Two quantitative metrics are proposed to quantify a structure's robustness as a function of geometry. The first metric is a measure of a member's importance relative to others in the redundancy of a structural system. The second metric characterizes the robustness efficiency of the entire structure. These metrics are developed using a novel analysis method coupled with an interactive MATLAB script which infers properties of a redundant structure through the analysis of its stable substructures. Together, these metrics give designers a powerful tool to evaluate the robustness of their preliminary structural design based soled on geometry and static equilibrium. Moreover, using these metrics, geometry optimization techniques are then implemented to discover robust structural geometries for given topologies and the general parameters that describe them.

This volume collects the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of shell and spatial structures, as presented by leading international researchers at the 2nd Italian Workshop on Shell and Spatial Structures (IWSS), held in Turin, Italy on June 26-28, 2023. The conference was meant to give an overview on experimental and theoretical studies, analysis methods and approaches for the design, computational form finding, structural optimization, manufacturing, testing and maintenance techniques and historical reviews of all types of shell and spatial structures. These include, but are not limited to, tension and membrane structures, framed and lattice structures, gridshells and active-bending structures, shell roofs, tensegrity structures, pneumatic and inflatable structures, active and deployable structures, concrete, metal, masonry, timber and bio-based, spatial structures. The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, present a wealth of exciting ideas that will open novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different specialists.

This 2-volume set of books, comprising over 2,700 total pages, presents 325 fully original presentations on recent advances in structural health monitoring, as applied to commercial and military aircraft (manned and unmanned), high-rise buildings, wind turbines, civil infrastructure, power plants and ships. One general theme of the books is how SHM can be used for condition-based maintenance, with the goal of developing prediction-based systems, designed to save money over the life of vehicles and structures. A second theme centers on technologies for developing systems comprising sensors, diagnostic data and decision-making, with a focus on intelligent materials able to respond to damage and in some cases repair it. Finally the books discuss the relation among data, data interpretation and decision-making in managing a wide variety of complex structures and vehicles. More recent technologies discussed in the books include SHM and environmental effects, energy harvesting, non-contact sensing, and intelligent networks.Material in these books was first presented in September, 2011 at a conference held at Stanford University and sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation. Some of the highlights of the books include: SHM technologies for condition-based maintenance (CBM) and predictive maintenance Verification, validation, qualification, data mining, prognostics systems for decision-making Structural health, sensing and materials in closed-loop intelligent networks Military and aerospace, bioinspired sensors, wind turbines, monitoring with MEMS, damage sensing, hot spot monitoring, SHM and ships, high-rise structures Includes a fully-searchable CD-ROM displaying many figures and charts in full color

As a degenerative disorder of the eye, keratoconus can cause substantial distortion of vision, with multiple images, streaking, and sensitivity to light all reported by patients. Keratoconus: Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment updates ophthalmologists about the innovations that have occurred within the last decade, discussing the diagnostic imaging techniques that have been developed for keratoconus diagnosis, understanding of how examination techniques are related to the evolution of keratoconus, and how to indicate the different therapeutic tools that have been created for keratoconus over the last several years. Additionally, fundamentals for new diagnostic elements, based on the mathematical, physical and biomechanical data are analyzed in depth for a better understanding of the essential diagnostic steps for the clinician to guide patients towards the most adequate therapeutic tool in the case. Modern keratoplasty techniques, assisted by femtosecond lasers or other devices, are also covered and these techniques, along with the emerging conservative treatments, have added to more precise control of the evolution of the disease.