Vulnerability of Flat Slab Structures

Flat slab structures are widespread all over the world and have a high rate of occupancy. Therefore, an investigation of their vulnerability is an important task because the collapse of such a building can lead to fatal consequences. One of the hazard scenarios which could end in a progressive collapse is column failure. Hence, the consequences of a column failure for the remaining structure are investigated, and the key parameters are identified with the aid of simple mechanical models. As a result the failure time of the column should be assumed to be chosen close to zero. Since linear elastic analyses do lead to bad results, a non-linear structural behavior should be considered. For the calculation of forces damping and strain-rate effects can be neglected. To determinate the maximum deformations of the remaining structure, however, those two parameters are worthwhile to be considered.