A. Calvi Author informationContact: alessandro.calvi84@gmail.com
This paper addresses the concept of structural robustness in buildings, particularly focusing on progressive collapse, a phenomenon where localized damage leads to widespread structural failure. Resilient buildings are designed to maintain adequate performance during unexpected extraordinary events, such as explosions, impacts, or earthquakes, yet defining "adequate" performance remains complex. Design codes often refer to the "proportion" between accidental events and their consequences, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of progressive collapse. This collapse occurs through a series of failures in structural elements, such as beams and columns, which trigger a dynamic load redistribution and result in a catastrophic domino effect. Examples of progressive collapse, such as the Ronan Point Building collapse in 1968 and the World Trade Center collapse in 2001, have driven research and regulatory efforts in this field. While strengthening all structural elements could improve a building's damage tolerance, this approach is costly. Alternative strategies, such as redundancy and compartmentalization, are commonly used, but their effectiveness is still debated. Similarly, although anti-seismic design enhances progressive collapse resistance, it does not represent the optimal strategy for maximizing resistance. This study emphasizes the limitations of current design codes and the need for improved analytical models of progressive collapse. The paper introduces a new simulation method based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM) to conduct large-scale parametric studies. This approach is used to identify collapse mechanisms and develop kinematic models to analyze and generalize simulation results. By extending the P-Δ method to both intact and damaged structures, simplified formulas are derived for calculating collapse loads and progressive collapse resistance. The methodology is applied to investigate the progressive collapse of 2D reinforced concrete frames subjected to the sudden removal of beams and columns. The findings highlight the importance of designing structures that can redistribute and dissipate loads, utilizing the ductility of components to avoid fragile failure behavior. Robustness Interpretation of Intact and Damaged Framed Structures EUR ING Alessandro Calvi
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Published on 22/02/25
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA license
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