Integrity of Precast Concrete Structures to Resist Progressive Collapse

The slew of high profile engineering calamities in the past decade has demonstrated the disastrous consequence of progressive collapse. Precast concrete structures may have a higher vulnerability to progressive collapse compared to cast-in-situ structures due to possible lower integrity in connections and joints. However, compared to cast-in-situ structures, limited studies have been carried out to evaluate the behavior of precast structures for prevention of progressive collapse. For this purpose, a series of three-dimensional (3D) precast structures with different connection types were tested in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The effects of varying the types of slab-beam connections and beam-column joints on the progressive collapse performance of precast concrete structures were evaluated. The preliminary test results were presented and the failure modes and possible load resisting mechanisms of precast structures to resist progressive collapse were discussed.