Complexityisaconceptwidelyappliedinmanyfieldsofscienceandhumanities. Although the word is extensively used in construction engineering, no definition and measure has been already given. As a practical rule, a structure subjected to loads is considered simple if load paths are easily identifiable. On the contrary, complex…
Complexityisaconceptwidelyappliedinmanyfieldsofscienceandhumanities. Although the word is extensively used in construction engineering, no definition and measure has been already given. As a practical rule, a structure subjected to loads is considered simple if load paths are easily identifiable. On the contrary, complex schemes are those in which the structural behavior is difficult to catch. The previous generalized concepts are inserted in a more precise framework. Using information theory, a definition of structural complexity is given. A simple example is made in order to describe the new measure. Some issues of the approach are presented and discussed. The references to alge- braic graph theory, required for reducing the computational effort, are briefly presented. Then, the complexity measure is applied for evaluating the “damage tolerance” of a frame, i.e. its robustness. This concept, as introduced by Lind, can be defined as the capacity of the system to sustain local damage without failure. Robustness is a prerequisite in the design of a structure and represents a modern research topic in the field of structural engineering.