Professor James Attwood Memorial Lecture 2020 – online, Tuesday 03 November 2020, 6pm

The controlled collapse of large structures, whether initiated by explosives or mechanical means, can offer significant advantages over other methodologies in terms of health risk, programme and cost.

Risk avoidance or reduction is the main priority on any project, but can only be achieved by developing a thorough understanding of the structure taking account of age related deterioration, modifications that may have been carried out during its working life, and the structural preparatory works to be carried out in advance of demolition.

Temporary works design, control and monitoring during this process are key to the safe execution of the structural preparatory works.

Design in particular involves conventional assessment of a static structure with stresses induced by load redistribution checked in accordance with current codes of practice.

Stability during engineering preparatory works is one thing, but predicting how the collapse mechanism will develop and where the structure will land is another.

For that we need to refer to the fundamental Laws of Physics and pay tribute to our illustrious engineering forebears for development of the principles that allow us to understand this.

Speaker
Robert Johnstone, Keltbray