Progressive collapse analysis of an RC building with exterior partially infilled walls

SUMMARY Exterior partially infilled walls of RC condominium buildings are often monolithically cast with beams and/or columns in Taiwan. In practice, they are regarded as non-structural elements in usual structural design, and only their weight is conservatively considered. In this study, effects of three common types of exterior partially infilled walls on the progressive collapse potential of an RC building are investigated. Linear and nonlinear static analyses under different column-loss scenarios are carried out. Analysis results indicate that influence of the partially infilled walls differs from each type. Changes in the demand-to-capacity ratios indicate that without considering the walls, the moment demand of beams may be overestimated. However, their shear demand may be underestimated, especially with the panel-type walls. Meanwhile, they may increase the collapse resistance of the building frame under column loss but with decreased ductility capacity. From the structural aspect, with a constant opening rate of 60%, the wing-type wall is a better option than the parapet- and panel-type walls. The panel-type wall appears to be the worst choice since shear failure of their connected beam members may be induced. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.