The evaluation of collapse probability of low-rise buildings based on Monte Carlo simulation

Abstract

Over recent years, wind-caused activities such as typhoons, hurricanes, and tornadoes have happened frequently in coastal areas, causing damage or even the collapse of many buildings. This study designs a three-story teaching building located in Dalian to discuss the influence of different wind speeds on the stability of this building and propose some measurements. This study firstly uses Monte Carlo simulation to analyze the probability of collapse of the beam. Results show that the probability of frame collapse on windy days is 0.399%. It indicates that the wind speed could affect the stability of the structure. Higher wind speed could cause a higher internal force and structure displacement, leading to structural disability. The study also provides some wind-resistant designs to increase structural stability. The first is to choose a wind-resistant location, making reasonable site selection. The second is to select a suitable roof to resist heavy wind, and to increase the safety factor of the roof wind load design. The third is to increase the cross-section reinforcement method to reduce the dynamic wind load effect of the structure effectively. The externally bonded steel from the reinforcement method should be checked to avoid shear damage to the members after the bending bearing capacity increase.