Analytical Evaluation of the Vulnerability of RC Frames for Progressive Collapse Caused by the Loss of a Corner Column

Abstract

In the past decades, several guidelines have been developed for designs against progressive collapse based on a number of experimental and numerical studies that have been conducted. However, the majority of the previous experimental and numerical investigations focused on the response of buildings under the scenarios of loss of interior or exterior columns. However, the loss of a corner column in the event of a terrorist attack is more likely to trigger progressive collapse given the paucity of surrounding elements that could help to redistribute the axial force initially resisted by the lost corner column. In order to investigate the progressive collapse of RC frames under the loss of a corner column scenario, an analytical model was proposed and subsequently validated through comparison with the experimental results. The influences of the beam longitudinal reinforcement ratio, beam depth, beam width, column width, and joint transverse reinforcement ratio on the progressive collapse performance of RC frames were also parametrically studied via the validated analytical model.