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In the years following the 7.2 Kobe Earthquake in Japan, Dr. Hatem Tagel-Din began his PhD. studies at Tokyo University, setting out to improve the mathematical systems used to understand the lethal effects of extreme loading events upon structures. After several years of research, a new method of structural analysis called the Applied Element Method (AEM) was born. AEM capitalized on several positive aspects of the Finite Element Method (FEM) and the Discrete Element Method (DEM), the existing types of analysis at the time, while simultaneously extending their functionality to include automatic plastic hinge formation, buckling & post-buckling, crack generation, separation of elements, and collision and collapse. Because there was no human interaction during the simulation, AEM provided engineers with a new tool, one which allowed for a more consistent and accurate degree of analysis.
Dr. Tagel-Din and his team of engineers and programmers at Applied Science International, LLC continued with the further development and enhancement of AEM, and in 2001 they released Extreme Loading® for Structures (ELS®), the first engineering analysis software to incorporate the benefits of AEM.
ASI first tested the capabilities of ELS® by simulating the terrorist attack on the A.P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City, comparing the output created with the data generated by the federal investigation. The results demonstrated a degree of accuracy superior to any simulation used in case studies prior to this. Using ELS®, ASI not only reproduced what happened during the actual event but demonstrated a multitude of other scenarios that could have occurred as well as mitigation measures that might have been instituted beforehand. ELS® is now used commercially to analyze and evaluate structures for demolition planning, blast protection, seismic events, progressive collapse, and structural vulnerabilities.
Applied Element Method:
Extreme Loading® for Structrues Software:
ASI Structural Analysis Services:
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