ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: This paper is addressed to the analysis of themain strategies to avoid the progressive collapse of buildings with precast RC load bearing walls under gas explosion. The possibility of a building to experience a progressive collapse depends on several factors which are related to both the gas explosion hazard and the structural robustness. Two different protection strategies are analyzed in this paper aiming at reducing the risk of progressive collapse: (1) the key element strategy and (2) the alternative load paths strategy. The former is based on the design of appropriate precast load bearing walls, whose structural response can be estimated by means of the Baker’s method. The obtained related numerical results are represented in a Pressure-impulse diagram considering different features of the connecting system. The latter is based on the acceptance of extensive damages, namely the collapse of at least one story. To show the applicability of the above strategies, a typical building based on precast load bearingwalls is analyzed in the paper, computing comparatively the cost related to the examined design solutions to avoid the progressive collapse of the structure.
