Assessment of progressive collapse of steel structures under seismic loads

Progressive collapse involves a series of failures that lead to partial or total collapse of a structure. It is generally initiated by loss of one or more vertical load carrying elements. This loss is caused by abnormal loads such as bombings, gas explosion, earthquakes…etc. Progressive collapse due to seismic actions has not received much attention in spite of its importance and repeated occurrences. In the current study, it is intended to investigate the progressive collapse potential of steel moment resisting and braced frames designed according to Egyptian local standards due to damage caused by seismic actions. One first-storey column is fully removed at arbitrary locations within the building using alternate path method recommended in the UFC guidelines in order to study consequences and check safety of adjacent members. 3-D nonlinear dynamic analyses are employed using SAP2000 is employed in the performed parametric study.