Mitigation methods of progressive collapse for a 10-story reinforced concrete structure

Abstract

Progressive collapse in a structure occurs when major structural load carrying members are removed suddenly, and the remaining structural elements cannot support the weight of the building and fail. This failure usually occurs in a domino effect and leads to a progressive collapse failure in the structure. A building must have sufficient strength, ductility and redundancy to resist collapse and ensure life safety. Extreme loading events, such as earthquakes and explosions, may cause severe local damage that triggers a chain reaction of large-scale structural failure or progressive collapse such as in the Oklahoma City building and the World Trade Centre. The bombing of the Murray Federal Building in Oklahoma City is a typical example of progressive collapse failure. The initial bomb blast caused only 10% of the structure’s damage, and the resulting progressive collapse failure lead to 90% of the structure’s damage. This thesis investigates the potential to fail of a 10 story Reinforced Concrete building due to progressive collapse. The modelling and analysis are performed by ETABS 9.5 software. In this study, two approaches will be presented to decrease the potential of progressive collapse in the structures. To gain the best method among all that have been presented for mitigation of progressive collapse, 10 to 15 per cent increase in the size of the structural elements, is the most effective method.