Progressive Collapse of a 2-story Reinforced Concrete Frame

Smart sensors are increasingly used for health monitoring of Civil Engineering structures. Using PZT patch as smart sensor material, smart aggregates were recently developed at the University of Houston. This paper describes the experimental and analytical study of a two-story reinforced concrete frame embedded with smart aggregates at all critical locations including all the beam column joints. The frame was subjected to monotonic lateral loads up to failure. The location and sequential development of the plastic hinges were observed during the testing of the frame. A finite element model of the frame was also developed and analyzed using the computer program developed by the Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (OpenSees) (Fenves, 2005). The analytical behavior of the frame closely resembled the experimental response and the progressive collapse of the frame clearly identified by the analysis. The response of smart aggregates has been utilized to also verify the state of damage of the frame at the instant of formation of plastic hinges as predicted by the analysis.