Progressive collapse of framed structures: Suggestions for robustness assessment

Abstract

The term progressive collapse" has been used to describe the spread of local failure in a manner analogous to a chain reaction that leads to partial or total collapse of a structure. Robustness is de ned as a fundamental property of structural systems to prevent damage propagation and to mitigate the potential of progressive collapse. In this paper, the progressive collapse capacity of steel moment-resisting frames was rst investigated using the alternative load path method, then suggestions are made for assessment of structural robustness, and the robustness of frames is quanti ed. According to the results, the robustness and progressive collapse potential of the frames varied signi cantly, depending

on the location of the initial local failure and number of building stories.