This paper aims to address a need for improving the structural resilience to multi-hazard threats including fire and progressive collapse caused by the loss of a column.
The focus is on a steel moment frame that uses welded-unreinforced flange-bolted web connections between the beams and columns. A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model was created in ABAQUS with temperature-dependent properties for steel based on the Eurocode. The model was validated against experimental data at ambient and elevated temperature.
The failure mechanisms in the FE model were consistent with experimental observations. Two scenarios were considered: fixed load with increasing temperature (i.e. simulating column failure prior to fire) and fixed temperature with increasing load (i.e. simulating column failure during fire).
A macro element (or component-based) model was also introduced and validated against the FE model and the experimental data, offering the possibility of analyzing large-scale structural systems with reasonable accuracy and improved computational efficiency.
