The project, funded by the US Army Corps, will show military decision-makers how bombs, bullets and rockets impact structures, so they can reinforce buildings or build sturdier structures to withstand combat operations and protect people.
As part of the study, Colorado State University engineer Dr Hussam Mahmoud will first visualise them falling apart. He will then work alongside the Army Corps of Engineers to simulate these impacts in VR, with the aim to present these findings to army officials and those within the construction industry.
“Understanding the material properties, how these buildings were built and the type of load they can take without collapsing, is really important to develop good strategies for combat operations,” said Mahmoud, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and principal investigator on the project.
Mahmoud has previously done extensive research on how fire affects structures, and he...