Publications

Steel buildings are generally susceptible to the risk of progressive collapse in case one or a few load-carrying members are lost in an extreme event such as blast, impact, or fire. Thus, to avoid the catastrophic collapse of steel structures, it is imperative to investigate and learn from the performance of existing steel buildings for progressive collapse potential. The Ohio Union building, a multi-story steel-framed building that existed on the campus of Ohio State University, was tested earlier before its demolition by one of the co-authors for progressive collapse assessment under the successive removal of four columns located at the first-story level. The aim of this study is to conduct NLD (nonlinear dynamic) analysis for the building considering buckling of columns to numerically assess its potential for progressive collapse and then compare it with test observations. The calibrated finite element (FE) model was then extended to incorporate more hypothetical sequential and simultaneous column-loss scenarios. As one of the most widely accepted documents used among practicing engineers for numerical assessment of progressive collapse potential of buildings, the 2003 GSA (General Services Administration) guidelines were also applied. The simplified LS (linear static) analysis approach of the GSA guidelines was used for assessing the progressive collapse risk of the building, and the results were then compared with both test observations and NLD analysis. New dynamic increase factors (DIFs) are recommended for both force- and deformation-controlled actions to be used with the LS analysis.