Seismic Design Effect on the Progressive Collapse Potential of R.C. Frames

Progressive collapse potential studies are performed on two-dimensional R.C frames with different reinforcement details under the effect of interior column removal. This study aims to determine the effect of seismic detailing on the structural resistance and behavior of RC frames during progressive collapse event. The R.C frames and reinforcement details would be designed according to Egyptian Code ECP-203 [1]. In this study, two prototype frames were executed from concrete structure and were designed. The first frames F1 is designed with non-seismic reinforcement detail. The second frame F2 is designed with seismic rebar detail. Nonlinear software, used for modeling R.C frames, is extreme loading for structures (ELS). The numerical technique is based on the applied element method with suitable stress-strain relations for concrete and steel. It is found that frame with seismic detail improve the frame resistance against progressive collapse event by 40-45% more than the non-seismic detail in all response stages. The load-steel strain curves and the cracking patterns are also compared for the two frames.