Parallel Axial-Flexural Hinge Model for Nonlinear Dynamic Progressive Collapse Analysis of Welded Steel Moment Frames

In this study, a parallel axial-flexural hinge model capable of representing postyield flexural behavior and considering interaction effects of axial force and moment is proposed for a simplified nonlinear progressive collapse analysis of welded steel moment frames. To this end, the load-resisting mechanism of the column-removed double-span beams was investigated based on the material and geometric nonlinear parametric finite-element analysis. A multilinear parallel point hinge model which captures the moment-axial tension interaction was then proposed. The emphasis was to develop a reliable and computationally efficient macromodel for practical progressive collapse analysis. The application of the proposed hinge model to nonlinear dynamic progressive collapse analysis was illustrated by using OpenSEES program. The accuracy as well as the efficiency of the proposed model was verified based on inelastic dynamic finite-element analysis results. The importance of including catenary action effects for proper progressive collapse resistant analysis and design was also emphasized.