A case study of the structural responses of a tall building in Singapore subjected to close‐in detonations

Abstract

The response of tall buildings has been a major concern in metropolitan cities, especially with the recent surge in extreme activities targeted at structures with viable commercial values. This paper discusses a study carried out on the structural behaviour of a 2D frame, modelled to represent a tall building with ABAQUS. The model frame was subjected to a charge of the equivalent weight of 1 ton of TNT but placed at two varying cases of 5 and 10‐m standoff distances. Plane‐strain elements that incorporate the feature of material nonlinearity were utilized to model the structural components of the building and the simulated blast overpressures were obtained from the CONWEP software. The effects of large deformations of beams and columns corresponding to the short time loading duration depicted by the explosions were analysed from a local perspective. The extent of the damage is based on a local index defined as the ratio of curvatures. These local indices are consequently used to determine the possibility of disproportionate collapse of the frame from a global perspective. Finally, the provision of more ductile structural detailing is recommended to enhance the structural integrity of the building, increasing its resilience against blast attacks. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Outrigger and Belt‐Truss System Design for High‐Rise Buildings: A Comprehensive Review Part II—Guideline for Optimum Topology and Size Design

“…Considering this type of load in tall building design is important to check the safety of the building against progressive collapse. Several reviewed papers studied this phenomenon, such as [39,61,93]. However, there are high uncertainties of blast load calculations [39].…”

The effects of explosive mass ratio on residual compressive capacity of contact blast damaged composite columns

“…The most common failure mode caused by blast loadings is progressive collapse [1,2]. One of the most useful pieces of information when assessing the possibility of progressive collapse of a blast damaged structure would be the residual axial capacity of its columns.…”

Pressure–impulse diagram of a beam developing non-linear membrane action under blast loading

“…An accurate finite element modeling of all possible scenarii is by far too expensive and simpler analysis tools are required, at least at early design stages. Driven by the recent observations that the structural behaviour of the beam above a compartment affected by a blast mainly governs the local response [1,2], a simple model of the system is developed with a condensation of the rest of the structure, usually referred to as the indirectly affected part (IAP). More precisely, this paper focuses on the determination of the required ductility of frame beams subjected to a blast loading considering the effects of lateral inertia and elastic restraint offered by the IAP.…”