RESEARCH ADVANCES OF PROGRESSIVE COLLAPSE OF BUILDING STRUCTURES

The failure of some critical bearing members in building structures caused by accidental loads such as explosion and impact could trigger a devastating progressive collapse of the global structures. This paper reviews the experimental and theoretical research results on the progressive collapse of building structures, and the resistance mechanisms during the collapse as well as the their contributions to the collapse resistance. The current design and assessment methods are discussed. Finally, the prospective research directions on the structural collapse are highlighted.