Failure analysis of the 16-story Plasco building under fire condition

Document Type : Article

Authors

1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

2 School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The progressive collapse of the 16-story Plasco steel building induced by fire in Tehran on 19 January 2017 led to the death of dozens of firefighters. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive 3D nonlinear finite element analysis of a floor of the Plasco building under fire condition. The LS-DYNA program is used to investigate the cause of steel beam-to-column connection failure. Results of the nonlinear analysis of detailed numerical model confirms the failure modes of the structural elements such as columns, trusses, joists, beams, welds, and other structural elements investigated during the site visits. Design recommendations are provided based on the results from the fire analysis of the Plasco building.

Keywords


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