Zdenek Bažant
Encyclopedia
Zdeněk Pavel Bažant is McCormick School Professor and Walter P. Murphy Professor of Civil Engineering and Materials Science in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University's
Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
.
Born in Prague
to a geotechnical engineering
professor and a sociology Ph.D., and the grandson of a professor of structural mechanics and former university president, Bažant was the winner of the 1955 Mathematical Olympics. He studied civil engineering at Czech Technical University (ČVUT), where he was first in his class. He was awarded the C.E. degree with the highest distinction in 1960. While working as a bridge engineer for the state consulting firm Dopravoprojekt in Prague, he studied for his Ph.D. in structural mechanics at the Czech Academy of Sciences
, which he received in 1963. In his dissertation on concrete creep
theory, he developed a new method to analyze fracturing and cracking in concrete structures. He went on to earn a postgraduate diploma in theoretical physics from Charles University
in 1966 and attained docent (Associate Professor) habilitation in concrete structures from ČVUT in 1967.
In 1966, he accepted a visiting research appointment at the Centre Experimental de Recherches et d’Études du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics followed by appointments at University of Toronto
and University of California, Berkeley
. The Russian invasion that followed the Prague Spring
convinced him to remain in the United States, and in 1969, he joined the Northwestern faculty as Associate Professor of Civil Engineering. He was promoted to Professor in 1973.
Bažant, who is generally regarded as the world leader in research on scaling in the mechanics of solids, has published over 450 refereed journal articles and is the author of six books. He is an ISI highly cited researcher
in Engineering, which places him among the 250 most cited authors in all engineering fields worldwide. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1996, the National Academy of Sciences in 2002, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 2008, and is a registered Structural Engineer
in the state of Illinois. He has supervised 60 Ph.D.s in addition to receiving six honorary doctorates of his own (ČVUT 1991, TU Karlsruhe 1997, CU Boulder
2000, Politecnico di Milano 2001, INSA Lyon 2004, and TU Vienna
2005).
Bažant's research entered the public sphere when, in the days after the attack on the World Trade Center
, he circulated a structural analysis of the WTC 1 and 2 collapse
.
A later, related paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanics of progressive collapse in tall buildings.
Bažant's analysis led him to a four-point failure scenario.
Bažant speaks English, Czech, French, German, and Russian.
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Established in 1909, the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science is one of eleven schools at Northwestern University. Most engineering classes are held in the Technological Institute, which students often refer to as "Tech." In October 2005, another building called the Ford...
.
Born in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to a geotechnical engineering
Geotechnical engineering
Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering is important in civil engineering, but is also used by military, mining, petroleum, or any other engineering concerned with construction on or in the ground...
professor and a sociology Ph.D., and the grandson of a professor of structural mechanics and former university president, Bažant was the winner of the 1955 Mathematical Olympics. He studied civil engineering at Czech Technical University (ČVUT), where he was first in his class. He was awarded the C.E. degree with the highest distinction in 1960. While working as a bridge engineer for the state consulting firm Dopravoprojekt in Prague, he studied for his Ph.D. in structural mechanics at the Czech Academy of Sciences
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. The Academy is the leading non-university public research institution in the Czech Republic...
, which he received in 1963. In his dissertation on concrete creep
Creep (deformation)
In materials science, creep is the tendency of a solid material to slowly move or deform permanently under the influence of stresses. It occurs as a result of long term exposure to high levels of stress that are below the yield strength of the material....
theory, he developed a new method to analyze fracturing and cracking in concrete structures. He went on to earn a postgraduate diploma in theoretical physics from Charles University
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
in 1966 and attained docent (Associate Professor) habilitation in concrete structures from ČVUT in 1967.
In 1966, he accepted a visiting research appointment at the Centre Experimental de Recherches et d’Études du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics followed by appointments at University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. The Russian invasion that followed the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
convinced him to remain in the United States, and in 1969, he joined the Northwestern faculty as Associate Professor of Civil Engineering. He was promoted to Professor in 1973.
Bažant, who is generally regarded as the world leader in research on scaling in the mechanics of solids, has published over 450 refereed journal articles and is the author of six books. He is an ISI highly cited researcher
ISI highly cited researcher
ISI Highly Cited is a database of "highly cited researchers"—scientific researchers whose publications are most often cited in academic journals over the past decade, published by the Institute for Scientific Information...
in Engineering, which places him among the 250 most cited authors in all engineering fields worldwide. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1996, the National Academy of Sciences in 2002, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 2008, and is a registered Structural Engineer
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
in the state of Illinois. He has supervised 60 Ph.D.s in addition to receiving six honorary doctorates of his own (ČVUT 1991, TU Karlsruhe 1997, CU Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
2000, Politecnico di Milano 2001, INSA Lyon 2004, and TU Vienna
Vienna University of Technology
Vienna University of Technology is one of the major universities in Vienna, the capital of Austria. Founded in 1815 as the "Imperial-Royal Polytechnic Institute" , it currently has about 26,200 students , 8 faculties and about 4,000 staff members...
2005).
Bažant's research entered the public sphere when, in the days after the attack on the World Trade Center
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, he circulated a structural analysis of the WTC 1 and 2 collapse
Collapse of the World Trade Center
The twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001, as a result of al-Qaeda's September 11 attacks, in which terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners, flying one into the North Tower and another into the South Tower...
.
A later, related paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanics of progressive collapse in tall buildings.
Bažant's analysis led him to a four-point failure scenario.
- Severed and significantly deflected columns at the point of impact redistributed stress to other columns, exhausting their load capacity.
- Because insulation was stripped from many structural steel members, the jet-fuel induced inferno heated remaining columns up to 600°C, causing them to lose up to 85% of their strength.
- Heat and stress combined to induce both viscous and plastic properties in the remaining columns. That, and thermal expansion, caused the floor trusses to sag, pulling perimeter columns inward. These factors along with the deflection of some columns due to aircraft impact induced multistory buckling of the outer frame wall tube.
- As a result of the buckling of the outer frame, the upper part of the tower fell through at least one floor height. The kinetic energy of the falling upper part exceeded by an order of magnitude the energy that could be absorbed by the floor below, triggering progressive collapse.
Bažant speaks English, Czech, French, German, and Russian.