Structural design and detailing for robustness

Assessment of robustness of structural systems very often involves assessment of the structural response after local damage. In this paper an attempt is made to describe the state of art in this field with focus on methods which can be used in engineering practice. Advanced non-linear and dynamic computer tools are available today which can deal with most of the above mentioned phenomena but they are often too complex to be used directly in engineering design. Furthermore, the necessary input data concerning non-linear, large deformation behaviour of materials, joints and elements are either lacking or associated with great uncertainty. The commonly applied strategy to prescribe tying requirements is briefly discussed from the point of view of its effectiveness in improving robustness in practice.