Robustness of Reinforced Concrete Framed Buildings: A Comparison between Different Numerical Models

Abstract

According to Eurocode, robustness is the ability of a structure to withstand events like fire, explosions, impact or the consequences of human error, without being damaged to an extent disproportionate to the original cause.Avoiding the progressive collapse of a building in presence of accidental loading conditions is one of the challenges for the designers.The tie-force method is actually one of the most used design techniques for resisting progressive collapse, whereby a statically indeterminate structure is designed with reference to local simplified models determined in accordance to the failure mode considered.In this work a computational study of a reinforced concrete frame is presented. The beam-column assembly represents a portion of the structural framing system of a ten-story reinforced concrete frame building and is subjected to monotonically increasing vertical displacement of the center column to simulate a column removal scenario.Two different finite element models, with distinct levels of modeling, are used in order to compare the numerical results with the experimental ones coming from a full-scale test, and evaluate the ability of the models to simulate the structural behavior of the frame.