Progressive collapse performance analysis of precast reinforced concrete structures

In this paper, the progressive collapse performance analysis of precast reinforced concrete (RC) structures is performed. A numerical simulation framework for precast RC structures is developed on the basis of the OpenSEES software, where the fiber frame element is used for beam and column type members and Joint2D element is used for the beam-to-column connections. The conjugated material models are then introduced, and a min-max failure criterion is imposed on the original models to reflect the steel fracture and concrete crushing when the structure is undergoing progressive collapse. In addition, to overcome the computational difficulties arisen from progressive collapse behavior, two enhanced nonlinear solutions , that is, the consistent quasi-Newton algorithm and the explicit KR-alpha algorithm, are employed, respectively, for static and dynamic analysis. A 10-storey prototype precast RC structures is designed to verify the developed numerical framework, and the progressive collapse resisting mechanism of the structures is investigated through both static pushdown analysis and dynamic column-removal analysis. Finally, influences of some typical parameters in precast RC structures on their progressive collapse performance are studied.