Evaluation of Structural Robustness for High Rise Buildings

Authors

Harikrishna Narasimhan and Michael H. Faber

Abstract

A quantitative evaluation of structural robustness for a high rise building structure is presented in this paper. A 40-storeyed steel building designed using a framed tube structural system is considered for analysis. The building is considered to be exposed to explosion events (quantified by varying amounts of exerted lateral load) followed by damage to specified elements of the structural frame. Structural system reliability analysis using the ß-unzipping method is used to determine the probability of failure of the structural system. This provides a means to overcome the inherent complexity in a structural system on account of the existence of multiple failure modes. An evaluation of structural robustness is then carried out using a risk based framework that accounts for direct and indirect risks to the structural system. Various scenarios are analyzed to study the effect of parameters such as intensity of load from the explosion event, degree of ductility of structural elements, location of damaged elements with respect to height and orientation in the structural frame on the probability of system failure and robustness.

Published in/by

Proceedings EM08, Inaugural International Mechanics Institute Conference, Minneapolis, USA, May 18-21, 2008.