Moment resisting steel-concrete composite frames under the column loss scenario: design of an experimental study

Robustness is a very topical research issue, and several research work have been carried out in recent years. The University of Trento was involved in the project ‘Robust impact design of steel and composite building structures’ (acronym ROBUSTIMPACT). The project was financially supported in the framework of the European RFCS program (Research Fund for Coal and Steel). This document concerns the experimental activities carried out at the Laboratory of Material and Structural Testing (LMST) of the University of Trento. The project focuses on the behaviour of composite steel and concrete framed buildings subject to accidental actions. Within the project, several experimental analyses were performed by the partners ranging from the local to the global response. As to the global behaviour, at LMST two 3D full-scale tests on steel-concrete composite sub-frames simulating the total loss of an impacted column were performed. The purpose of the study is to improve the state of knowledge on the contribution offered by the joints and by the 3D slab system in terms of activation of an alternative mechanisms of resistance. The research assumes two reference case studies of steel and concrete five-story buildings differing for in-plane column layout. Two sub-frames were ‘extracted’ from these structures and tested in the laboratory. The plan of the experimental tests required preliminary studies devoted to: • selection and definition of a reference buildings assumed as case studies, • design of the reference buildings according to the Eurocodes; • identification of representative substructures (slab-beam system, columns and joints) from the reference structures to be experimentally investigated; • design of the testing set-up This report concern the design of the case studies, of the specimens and of the testing set-up. In particular, Section 2 illustrates the design, based on the relevant Eurocodes, of the reference structures for both the geometric configurations. Section 3 reports the design of the sub-structures including also the numerical analysis and the design of the testing setup. Finally, Section 4 provides the details of the components of the two specimens as needed for their fabrication, and of the testing set-up. All the related drawings are reported in Annexes A-C.