• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.357-378
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• 2016

The progressive collapse phenomenon in structures has been interested by civil engineers and the building standards organizations. This is particularly true for the tall and special buildings ever since local collapse of the Ronan Point tower in UK in 1968. When initial or secondary defects of main load carrying elements, overloads or unpredicted loads occur in the structure, a local collapse may be arise that could be distributed through entire structure and cause global collapse. One is not able to prevent the reason of failure as well as the prevention of propagation of the collapse. Also, one is not able to predict the start point of collapse. Therefore we should generalize design guides to whole or the part of structure based on the risk analysis and use of load carrying elements removal scenario. There are some new guides and criteria for elements and connections to be designed to resist progressive collapse. In this paper, codes and recommendations by various researchers are presented, classified and compared for steel structures. Two current design methods are described in this paper and some retrofitting methods are summarized. Finally a steel building with special moment resistant frame is analyzed as a case study based on two standards guidelines. This includes consideration of codes recommendations. It is shown that progressive collapse potential of the building depends on the removal scenario selection and type of analysis. Different results are obtained based on two guidelines.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.503-515
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• 2022

Global or partial damage to a structure due to the failure of gravity or lateral load-bearing elements is called progressive collapse. In the present study, the alternate load path (ALP) method introduced by GSA and UFC 4-023-03 guidelines is used to evaluate the progressive collapse in special steel moment-resisting frame (SMRF) buildings. It was assumed that the progressive collapse is due to the earthquake force and its effects after the removal of the elements still remain on the structures. Therefore, nonlinear dynamic time history analysis employing 7 earthquake records is used to investigate this phenomenon. Internal and external column removal scenarios are investigated and the stiffness of the connections is changed from semi-rigid to rigid. The results of the analysis performed in the OpenSees program show that the loss of the bearing capacity of an exterior column due to a seismic event and the occurrence of progressive collapse can increase the inter-story drift of the structure with semi-rigid connections by more than 50% and make the structure unable to satisfy the life safety performance level. Furthermore, connection stiffness severely affects the redistribution of forces and moments in the adjacent elements of the removed column.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.4
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• pp.563-576
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• 2022

This study aimed to evaluate the progressive collapse potential of buildings designed using conventional design codes for the merchant occupancy classification and subjected to a sudden column failure. For this purpose, three reinforced concrete buildings having different story numbers were designed according to the seismic design recommendations of TSCB-2019. Later on, the buildings were analyzed using the GSA-2016 and UFC 4-023-03 to observe their progressive collapse responses. Three columns were removed independently in the structures from different locations. Nonlinear dynamic analysis method for the alternate path direct design approach was implemented for the design evaluation. The plasticity of the structural members was simulated by using nonlinear fiber hinges. The moment, axial, and shear force interaction on the hinges was considered by the Modified Compression Field Theory. Moreover, an existing experimental study investigating the progressive collapse behavior of reinforced concrete structures was used to observe the validation of nonlinear fiber hinges and the applied analysis methodology. The study results deduce that a limited local collapse disproportionately more extensive than the initial failure was experienced on the buildings designed according to TSCB-2019. The mercantile structures designed according to current seismic codes require additional direct design considerations to improve their progressive collapse resistance against the risk of a sudden column loss.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2012

In this study the progressive collapse behavior of a moment frame with infill steel panels is evaluated using nonlinear static pushdown analysis. The analysis model is a two story two span structure designed only for gravity load, and the load-displacement relationship is obtained with the center column removed. To obtain local stress and strain as well as the global structural behavior, finite element analysis is conducted using ABACUS. Through the analysis the effect of the span length and the thickness of the steel plate on the progressive collapse behavior of the structure is investigated, and the effect of the dividing the infill panel using stud columns is also studied. According to the analysis results, the thickness of the panels required to prevent progressive collapse increases as the span length increases, and as the number of panel division increases the progressive collapse resisting capacity increases slightly but the effect is not significant. It is also observed that when the infill panel is installed in only a part of the span the progressive collapse resisting capacity is somewhat increased.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.319-324
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• 2008

In this study the progressive collapse potential of special concentrically braced frames were investigated using the nonlinear static. All of seven different brace types were considered. According to the pushdown analysis results, most braced frames designed according to current design codes satisfied the design guidelines for progressive collapse initiated by loss of a first story mid-column; however most model structures showed brittle failure mode. This was caused by buckling of columns after compressive braces buckled. Among the braced frames considered, the inverted-V type braced frames showed superior ductile behavior during progressive collapse.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.435-442
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• 2007

Since the Ronan Point apartment collapsed in 1968, researches on the progressive collapse have been intermittently conducted, and the collapse of the World Trade Center twin towers made the researches active again. In the United States guidelines such as GSA (2003) and DoD (2005) were provided for design and analysis of building structures against the progressive collapse. In this study the progressive collapse-resisting capacity of steel moment resisting frames designed by KBC-2005 was investigated using linear elastic static analysis and linear dynamic analysis procedures suggested in the guidelines. The results showed that in accordance with the GSA guideline the moment frame designed only for gravity load turned out to be vulnerable to the progressive collapse, whereas the lateral load resisting frame designed for earthquake load satisfied the criteria for progressive collapse. However both systems sailed to satisfy the criteria of the DoD-2005 guideline.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.531-548
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• 2024

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the progressive collapse behavior of composite steel-concrete frames under various column removal scenarios. This study involves testing two two-bay, two-story composite frames featuring CFST columns and profiled steel decking composite slabs. Two removal scenarios, involving the corner column and middle column, are examined. The paper reports on the overall and local failure modes, vertical force-deformation responses, and strain development observed during testing. Findings indicate that structural failure initiates due to fracture and local buckling of the steel beam. Moreover, the collapse resistance and ductility of the middle column removal scenario surpass those of the corner column removal scenario. Subsequent numerical analysis reveals the significant contribution of the composite slab to collapse resistance and capacity. Additionally, it is found that horizontal boundary conditions notably influence the collapse resistance in the middle column removal scenario only. Finally, the paper proposes a simplified calculation method for collapse resistance, which yields satisfactory predictions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.553-571
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• 2016

The progressive collapse potential of steel moment framed structures due to abrupt removal of a column is investigated based on the energy principle. Based on the changes of component's internal energy, this paper analyzes structural member's sensitivity to abrupt removal of a column to determine a sub-structure resisting progressive collapse. An energy-based structural damage index is defined to judge whether progressive collapse occurs in a structure. Then, a simplified beam damage model is proposed to analyze the energies absorbed and dissipated by structural beams at large deflections, and a simplified modified plastic hinges model is developed to consider catenary action in beams. In addition, the correlation between bending moment and axial force in a beam during the whole deformation development process is analyzed and modified, which shows good agreement with the experimental results.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.749-764
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• 2014

Structural safety has always been a key preoccupation for engineers responsible for the design of civil engineering projects. One of the mechanisms of structural failure, which has gathered increasing attention over the past few decades, is referred to as 'progressive collapse' which happens when one or several structural members suddenly fail, whatever the cause (accident, attack, seismic loading(.Any weakness in design or construction of structural elements can induce the progressive collapse in structures, during seismic loading. Masonry infill panels have significant influence on structure response against the lateral load. Therefore in this paper, seismic performance and shear strength of R.C frames with brick infill panel under various lateral loading patterns are investigated. This evaluation is performed by nonlinear static analysis. The results provided important information for additional design guidance on seismic safety of RC frames with brick infill panel under progressive collapse.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.635-647
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• 2018

In order to improve the efficiency of the Reinforced Concrete, RC, structures against progressive collapse, this paper proposes a procedure using alternate path and specific local resistance method to resist progressive collapse in intermediate RC frame structures. Cap truss consists of multiple trusses above a suddenly removed structural element to restrain excessive collapse and provide an alternate path. Steel strut is used as a brace to resist compressive axial forces. It is similar to knee braces in the geometry, responsible for enhancing ductility and preventing shear force localization around the column. In this paper, column removals in the critical position at the first story of two 5 and 10-story regular buildings strengthened using steel strut or cap truss are studied. Based on nonlinear dynamic analysis results, steel strut can only decrease vertical displacement due to sudden removal of the column at the first story about 23%. Cap truss can reduce the average vertical displacement and column axial force transferred to adjacent columns for the studied buildings about 56% and 61%, respectively due to sudden removal of the column. In other words, using cap truss, the axial force in the removed column transfers through an alternate path to adjacent columns to prevent local or general failure or to delay the progressive collapse occurrence.