An investigation of the effectiveness of the framing systems in steel structures subjected to blast loading

Abstract

The effectiveness of different framing systems for three seismically designed steel frame structures subjected to blast loading is investigated. The three faming systems considered are: a moment resisting frame (MRF), a concentrically braced frame (CBF) and an eccentrically braced frame (EBF). The blast loads are assumed to be unconfined, free air burst detonated 15 ft (4.572 m) from one of the center columns. The structures are modeled and analyzed using the Applied Element Method, which allows the structure to be evaluated during and through failure. Failure modes are investigated through a plastic hinge analysis and member failure comparison. Also, a global response analysis is observed through comparison of roof deflections and accelerations. A conclusion of this research is that braced frames provide a higher level of resistance to the blast loading scenario investigated in this research. Both the CBF and EBF had a smaller number of failed members and plastic hinges compared to the MRF. They also had smaller roof deflection and acceleration. The CBF yielded the fewest number of plastic hinges but the EBF had a slightly fewer number of failed members.

Keywords:

• steel frame
• blast loading
• moment resisting frame
• concentrically braced frame

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amy Coffield

Amy COFFIELD. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 2010 with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. She received her Master's of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2013. Since 2012 she has worked as a Structural Engineer at River Consulting in Columbus, Ohio.

Hojjat Adeli

Hojjat ADELI. He is Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Informatics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Neurological Surgery, and Neuroscience at The Ohio State University. He has authored of over 500 publications including 15 books since he received his PhD. from Stanford University in 1976 at the age of 26. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including The Ohio State University's highest research honor, the Distinguished Scholar Award “in recognition of extraordinary accomplishment in research and scholarship”. He is the quadruple-winner of the OSU College of Engineering Lumley Outstanding Research Award. He received the ASCE Construction Management Award in 2006. In 2007 he received the Peter L. and Clara M. Scott Award for Excellence in Engineering Education for sustained, exceptional, and multi-faceted contributions to numerous fields including computer-aided engineering, knowledge engineering, computational intelligence, large-scale design optimization, and smart structures with worldwide impact, and Charles E. MacQuigg Outstanding Teaching Award from The Ohio State University College of Engineering. He is also the 2014 recipient of Eduardo Renato Caianiello Award from the Italian Society of Neural Networks (SIREN), and a Special Medal from the Polish Neural Network Society. In 1998 he was awarded a United States patent for his neural dynamics model for design automation and optimization (jointly with a former PhD student). He is a Fellow of AAAS, IEEE, and the American Neurological Association, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the international research journals Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering which he founded in 1986 and Integrated Computer-Aided Engineering which he founded in 1993, and the International Journal of Neural Systems.