Structural Evaluation of Tall Steel Moment-Resisting Structures in Simulated Horizontally Traveling Postearthquake Fire

Abstract

Postearthquake fire (PEF) can result in a catastrophe even worse than the earthquake itself. Investigating the effect of PEF loads on structures is thus of paramount importance. On the other hand, because of the complexity of fire, the simulation to account for the thermal loads exerted on structures has always been an issue. Although there are two main methods for simulating real fires—standard fires and natural fires—observations have shown that both of these are more correct for small/medium-size structures. For large open-plan structures, alternative methods (such as traveling fires) should be used. Here, an investigation is performed on a tall seven-story steel moment-resisting structure with a plan area of