Collapse simulation of reinforced concrete high‐rise building induced by extreme earthquakes

TLDR

Collapse resistance of high‑rise buildings has become a research priority because strong earthquakes and terrorist attacks are frequent, and numerical simulation is emerging as a powerful tool alongside laboratory tests and post‑earthquake investigations. The study proposes a finite‑element numerical model that predicts the collapse process of high‑rise buildings under extreme earthquakes. The model combines fiber‑beam elements, multilayer shell elements, and an elemental deactivation technique, and is applied to a 10‑story RC frame and two existing 18‑ and 20‑story RC high‑rise buildings, with sensitivity to different failure criteria examined. Results show the model can simulate collapse and identify potentially weak components, offering insights that can inform optimal design philosophy. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract

SUMMARY Collapse resistance of high‐rise buildings has become a research focus because of the frequent occurrence of strong earthquakes and terrorist attacks in recent years. Research development has demonstrated that numerical simulation is becoming one of the most powerful tools for collapse analysis in addition to the conventional laboratory model tests and post‐earthquake investigations. In this paper, a finite element method based numerical model encompassing fiber‐beam element model, multilayer shell model, and elemental deactivation technique is proposed to predict the collapse process of high‐rise buildings subjected to extreme earthquake. The potential collapse processes are simulated for a simple 10‐story RC frame and two existing RC high‐rise buildings of 18‐story and 20‐story frame–core tube systems. The influences of different failure criteria used are discussed in some detail. The analysis results indicate that the proposed numerical model is capable of simulating the collapse process of existing high‐rise buildings by identifying potentially weak components of the structure that may induce collapse. The study outcome will be beneficial to aid further development of optimal design philosophy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.