A Parametric Study on Progressive Collapse in Reinforced Concrete Frames with Infill Walls

This study investigates the effect of infill walls on the risk of progressive collapse in reinforced concrete (RC) frames. Previous studies are suggestive of the effect of infill walls on improving the structural strength and rigidity against seismic failures. However, there are few studies on the effect of infill walls under vertical forces induced by progressive collapse. It is anticipated that infill walls would also contribute to the structural strength and rigidity during a progressive collapse. The results of this study can help better our understanding of the performance of concrete frames with infill walls during the progressive collapse. To this end, a three-dimensional model was developed for the nonlinear finite element analysis of an RC frame with infill walls under progressive collapse conditions. Experimental results have been used for calibrating the numerical model. The effect of the infill wall, infill wall arrangement, openings in the infill wall, and the opening size, location, and shape were investigated. According to the results, infill wall significantly increased structural strength and rigidity against progressive collapse. Moreover, studied alternatives may help better understanding of the performance of infilled RC frames during progressive collapse.