Earthquake engineering: an EPFL laboratory stands out

Three researchers from the Resilient Steel Structures Laboratory (RESSlab) beat 11 other teams to win an international computer simulation contest on earthquake engineering. They will present their work on 13 April at a conference in Baltimore (USA). EPFL's Resilient Steel Structures Laboratory (RESSlab) finished in first place in the comprehensive category at in an international computer simulation competition on earthquake engineering: the NIST-ATC Blind Prediction Contest 2018. The RESSlab team developed the most accurate numerical model, as measured by 11 criteria, predicting the deformation of three steel columns subjected to earthquake loading. The researchers will receive their prize and present their work on 13 April at a special session dedicated to the blind analysis prediction contest as part of the AISC Steel Conference (NASCC) in Baltimore. These contests are blind because the researchers receive only partial information on a structure or component. Using just the geometry and the imposed load conditions, the EPFL researchers were able to demonstrate with a high level of accuracy that it is possible to simulate material and geometric instabilities in steel components undergoing cyclic loading similar to that of an earthquake.