ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all those who gave me the
possibility to complete this report. A special thanks to Our HOD Mr. Rahmathullah
and Chairman, Evaluation Committee Dr.Sabeena for providing me an opportunity to
Present this seminar.
I would also like to acknowledge with much appreciation the crucial role of the staff of
Civil Department, who gave the permission to use all required sources for studying about
my Topic.
I would also like to thank our parents and friends for their never failing support to us.
I would be failing in my efforts, if I did not express our thanks and gratitude to all the
people, who have helped us directly or indirectly in the successful completion of the
Seminar.
Finally, My special thanks to my Husband Mr. Nishad for his help in completing this
report

NUSFA KARUVATTIL

ABSTRACT
In collapse-resistant design of structures, understanding primary structural failuremechanisms and alternative load paths under accidental extreme loads is important. A
quasi-static experimental method is used to simulate the sudden loss of a column in a
single story concrete flat slab-column structure. In a series of experiments on two
identical large-scale models, an interior, exterior, and corner column of the structure were
replaced by mechanical jacks during the fabrication of the structure. After application of
uniform loads of increasing intensity, the jack representing the lost column was unloaded.
In the first model test wherein an interior column was removed, a downward concentrated
load was also applied on the upper end of the interior column until the structure
collapsed. Elastic behavior, yield-line mechanisms, and compressive and tensile
membrane actions in the flat slab-column structure were observed during the collapse
tests. The results provide valuable information on the load transfer mechanisms in a flat
slab-column structure when critical columns are removed.

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER

TITLE

PAGE NO
NO

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

ABSTRACT

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

iii

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF TABLES

viii

INTRODUCTION

HISTORICAL EVENTS OF PROGRESSIVE

4
5

COLLAPSE

2.1.

OFFICE BUILDING IN JACKSON, MICHIGAN

2.2.

APARTMENT BUILDING IN ALEXANDRIA,

VIRGINIA

2.3.

DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

2.4.

KATRANTZOS SPORTS DEPARTMENT STORE

2.5.

WORLD TRADE CENTRE 2001

REINFORCED CONCRETE FLAT PLATE

STRUCTURES

ANALYTICAL MODEL

4.1.

DETAILS OF FLAT PLATE FRAME MODELS

COLLAPSE TESTING OF MODEL 1

iii

12

5.1.

SIMULATION OF INTERIOR COLUMN LOSS

12

5.1.1. Loading Protocol

12

5.1.2. Overall Behavior of Flat Plate

13

5.1.3. In-Plane versus Vertical Displacement of the

Flat Plate
5.1.4.

16

Measured Strains in Concrete and

Reinforcing Steel

17

COLLAPSE TESTING OF MODEL 2

20

6.1.

SIMULATION OF EXTERIOR COLUMN LOSS

20

6.1.1. In-Plane Displacement of the Flat Plate

20

6.1.2. Measured Strains In Concrete

And Reinforcing Steel
6.2.

SIMULATION OF CORNER COLUMN LOSS

22
24

FAILURE MODE OF PLATE AFTER EXTERIOR

AND INTERIOR COLUMN TESTS

26

7.1.

27

YIELD-LINE ANALYSIS

CONCLUSION

29

REFERENCES

30

iv

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE NO

TITLE

PAGE NO

1.1

RC flat slab construction

1.2

Progressive collapse

2.1

Collapse of Faculty of Architecture Building

2.2

Collapse of Katrantzos Sports Department Store

2.3

Progressive collapse of world trade centre

3.1

Classification of flat slab construction

3.2

RC flat slab construction

4.1

Schematic view of test models showing simulation of

column removals
(a)

model 1 interior column loss (Z5)

(b)

model 2exterior column loss (Z4) and

corner column loss (Z9).

5.1.

10

10

Loading and instrumentation:

(a)

plan view

13

(b)

interior column test;

13

(c)

exterior/corner column testcolumn locations

Shown in parenthesis represent corner column test.

5.2

13

Relationship between axial force and

Displacement of interior column
(a)

PhaseI testing with uniform distributed load

14

(b)

PhaseII testing with concentrated load

14

5.3

Deflected shape of model at end of interior column test

16

5.4

Crack pattern at end of interior column test

17

5.5

Relationship between horizontal and vertical

displacement during interior column test

5.6

Variation of bottom surface concrete strain during

interior column test

5.7

19

Variation of top reinforcement strain during interior

column test

6.1

19

Axial force versus displacement relationship during

exterior column test

6.2

18

20

Relationship between horizontal and vertical

displacement

22

vi

6.3

Variation of concrete strain during exterior column test

6.4

Variation of reinforcement strain during exterior

column test

6.5

23

Axial force versus vertical displacement during corner

column test

6.6

23

25

Variation of top reinforcement strain during corner

column Test

25

7.1

Top view after exterior and corner column tests

26

7.2

Yield-line patterns:
(a)

interior column test

28

(b)

exterior column test

28

(c)

corner column test

28

vii

LIST OF TABLES
TABLE NO
Table 1

TITLE
Reinforcement Details of Model Structures

viii

PAGE NO
10