Progressive Collapse Experiments, Modeling and Analysis of Existing Frame Buildings

The main goal of this research is to better understand progressive collapse mechanisms of buildings, and to evaluate the current modeling and analysis techniques and design methodologies. Field experiments and numerical simulations were performed to investigate the progressive collapse potential of several reinforced concrete and steel frame buildings. Up to four first-story columns were physically removed from the buildings to understand the subsequent load redistribution within each building. Experimental data from the field tests were used to compare and verify the computational models and analysis results. Due to the scarcity of data from full-scale tests, the experimental data of this research is a valuable addition to the state of knowledge on progressive collapse of buildings. The design guidelines typically recommend simplified analysis procedures involving instantaneous removal of specified critical columns in a building. This research investigates the effectiveness of such commonly used progressive collapse evaluation and design methodologies through numerical simulation and experimental data.