Comparison of the Progressive Collapse Resistance of Seismically Designed Steel Shear Wall Frames And Special Steel Moment Frames

In this study, the progressive collapse potential of seismically designed steel plate shear wall (SPSW) systems is investigated using the alternate path method, and their performances are compared with those of the conventional special moment frame (SMF) systems. Nonlinear static and dynamic analyses are conducted to follow the progressive collapse of the structures, and their ability of absorbing the destructive effects of member loss is investigated. The obtained results show that when a corner or a middle column in the first story of the SPSWs is removed, the rest of the structure is not able to provide an appropriate alternative path for redistributing the generated loads caused by member loss, and therefore the structure presents a high potential for progressive collapse. However, by changing the lateral load resisting system of these buildings with the SMFs, the progressive collapse resisting capacity of the buildings increases significantly.