Collapse time of reinforced concrete buildings with brittle columns

Abstract

Buildings with brittle columns are in danger of gravity load collapse and may be hazardous in the event of future earthquakes. To plan for building evacuation, the time required for such buildings to collapse must be known. This study thus uses dynamic analysis to examine the collapse time of reinforced-concrete (RC) buildings designed according to old Japanese codes. Model lateral load vs interstory drift relations are represented based on previous collapse tests of brittle columns. The results reveal that (1) in most cases, the time between shear failure and collapse is very short for individuals to safely evacuate a building, and (2) the collapse time can be long for earthquakes with long durations.