Risk Estimation for Progressive Collapse of Buildings

Abstract


In this study, the collapse behaviours of steel-framed buildings were simulated using the adaptively shifted integration (ASI) -Gauss code to investigate the relation between a key element index, which indicates the contribution of a structural column to the vertical capacity of the structure, and the scale of progressive collapse. Collapses were initiated by removing specific columns from models designed based on different axial force ratios, and the collapse scales of the buildings were estimated using the total potential energy values of structural members after collapse. The numerical results for various models with different structural strengths confirmed that a larger integrated value for the key element index resulted in a higher risk of progressive collapse. This index could be used to predict and compare the progressive collapse risks for a building even when various locations for the removed columns are assumed.


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