PSI - Issue 84

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 84 (2026) 1031–1038

III Fabre Conference: Existing Bridges, Viaducts, and Tunnels: Research, Innovation, and Applications Applied Element Analysis for Risk Reduction in Decommissioning of Power Utilities Ahmed Amir Khalil a , Cosimo Pellecchia b , Emiliano De Iuliis b, *

a Applied Science International 2012 TW Alexander Dr, Morrisville, NC, 27560, USA b Applied Science International Europe Via Degli Osci 23, 86170 Isernia, Italia

© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference Abstract The energy transition raises the issue of the structural integrity and decommission methodologies of infrastructures inside large-scale industrial facilities, such as power station boiler units, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and industrial stacks, Slavin M. et al. (2011). These infrastructures typically have unique design features as for example hung boilers where the load is mostly suspended from the top, relatively heavy equipment distributed on different floors or custom steel members with nonstandard connections. Demolition techniques involve multiple operations that lead to nonlinear dynamic behavior of the structure. Examples of such demolition operations, is removal of secondary components, changes rigid connections into hinged connections or vice versa, strategic weakening of certain columns or beams, applying dynamic loads from demolition equipment such as skid steers and mini excavators, applying pulling force using cables, and even applying explosive charges for strategic removal of columns in the structure to induce total or partial collapse. The numerical method used to address these challenges is the Applied Element Method, AEM which is implemented in the software Extreme Loading for Structures (ELS), ASI (2004), Tagel Din H. (2009). This study presents the capabilities of the ELS software in the 3D high-fidelity implementation of crucial structural details, which can affect the dynamic behavior, guiding to different deconstruction strategies. The nonlinear dynamic analysis performed demonstrates exceptional capability in capturing the structural response, progressive collapse mechanisms, and load redistribution phenomena inherent in such infrastructural systems. Analysis results assist the engineer in the optimization of the deconstruction procedure thought, for example the monitoring of many key parameters such as stresses or displacements in crucial structural elements, with the objective to mitigate possible risks for safer deconstruction methodology.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 328-4339087 E-mail address: edeluliis@appliedscienceint.com

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.06.132