Corner-column failure scenarios in building structures: Current knowledge and future prospects

Abstract

[EN] Over the past few decades, increasing awareness of the need for more resilient infrastructure has led to a great increase in the amount of research being performed on the progressive collapse and structural robustness of buildings. Due to their widespread use, much of this research has focused on framed structures. Given the important role of columns in this type of structure, the analysis of the effect of their failure on structural systems has emerged as one of the most useful tools for studying structural robustness. However, the majority of such studies have focused on the removal of internal or edge columns rather than corner columns, which are in principle more vulnerable in many aspects. Although this situation suggests that more research may be needed to improve our understanding in this regard, the large amount of research performed in the field of progressive collapse means that it can be challenging to identify and prioritise the most important research needs. This review article aims to address this challenge through a comprehensive overview and analysis of past research involving corner-column failure scenarios in cast-in-place reinforced concrete (RC), precast concrete, and steel framed buildings. This analysis has made it possible to establish the most important research findings on corner- column failures, to define the limitations of what has been done so far, and to identify the most significant gaps in knowledge to be prioritised by future research.