Development of simulation for controlled demolition of cement silo with explosives

This study proposes a simplified approach usable on standard office computers for analysis of controlled demolition of buildings that have completed their service life. In this method, proposed as an alternative to complex simulations requiring high-end hardware, the structure is modelled by finite-elements, with load-bearing elements being removed from the system progressively based on blasting sequence. The structure was investigated using non-linear static analysis under its own weight, and it is accepted that the demolition occurred when the global drift ratio exceeded a specified limit value (4% for this case study). The accuracy of this method was tested on the demolition of a 60 m high reinforced concrete silo in Gaziantep. As a result of comparing analysis results with real demolition footage, it was revealed that the proposed method is an efficient and practical tool for predicting the mechanism and direction of collapse of the structure.