Educational objectives General Learning Objectives
The course provides the theoretical foundations and practical tools required to understand, model, and assess the behaviour of structures subjected to accidental actions and extreme scenarios, with particular reference to fire. The topics covered include scenario definition, the response of materials and structures at elevated temperatures, performance-based design criteria, and the verification of steel, reinforced concrete, and timber structures. The course also introduces structural robustness, risk analysis, and forensic engineering, including advanced numerical modelling methods capable of explicitly simulating damage evolution and collapse mechanisms.
Specific Learning Objectives
1. Knowledge and understanding.
By the end of the course, students will have acquired the theoretical knowledge required to assess structural safety under accidental actions and will understand the principles of structural fire engineering, as well as the effects of elevated temperatures on materials and structures.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding.
Students will be able to model fire actions, analyse the thermo-mechanical response of structures, and perform safety and robustness assessments under fire and explosion scenarios. They will also be introduced to advanced numerical methods for structural analysis, including the Applied Element Method, for the study of
structural robustness, damage propagation, and collapse mechanisms.
3. Making judgements.
Students will be able to identify relevant accidental scenarios, select the most appropriate analysis method, and critically assess the adopted assumptions, the obtained results, and the limitations of the models employed.
4. Communication skills.
Students will be able to present and discuss the topics covered in the course using appropriate technical terminology.
5. Learning skills.
Students will acquire the foundations required to independently further their knowledge of structural fire engineering, structural robustness, risk analysis, and forensic engineering through the consultation of technical standards and specialised literature.
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