| An energy based, quantitative analysis of collapse propagation in steel framed buildings was developed in this work. Column buckling energy was proposed as a necessary condition to initiate the collapse (but it is not a sufficient). The column failure energy was introduced and verified as the sufficient collapse criterion. This study demonstrated that energy based analysis and energetic failure criteria facilitate understanding of collapse propagation and reveal the underlying mechanisms during the collapse arrest or propagation.;Simulations of structural response to the sudden removal of key structural member(s) have been carried out for a number of moment resisting steel frames and steel framed buildings. The modeling aspects (e.g. retrieving reliable structural information, probabilistic geometric inaccuracies, and material models) are presented. Kinematic and energetic results with limited experimental validation are elaborated. An easy to use energy based analysis of collapse propagation has been developed and clearly explained in this study. |
