Failure analysis after the progressive collapse of a precast building

As buildings have to face more frequent and intense extreme events due to a changing climate and rising geopolitical tensions, the need for more robust structures that are insensitive to initial failures is now arguably more important than ever before. In this context, this article presents an in-depth analysis of the damage and failures that occurred during the partial progressive collapse test of a purposely built 15 × 12 m precast building with two floors. The building was designed to ensure load redistribution after the failure of single columns and also to segment parts of the structure from a larger initial failure that inevitably triggers a collapse. The ability of the structure to arrest collapse propagation was tested experimentally successfully isolating the collapse to the initially affected area. Based on visual inspections supported by computational simulations, failure mechanisms occurring in the collapsed area and damages in the upright part of the structure are analysed in detail in this article. Mechanisms that enabled the separation of the building in two parts are also studied. The presented results lead to an improved understanding of failure mechanisms causing collapse propagation and provide insights on how such propagation can be arrested. • Post-failure analysis of a full-scale partial collapse test is performed. • Combining inspections and simulations allows deeper investigation. • Different failure modes were observed for various building components. • Mechanisms enabling load redistribution and collapse isolation are identified. • Damages suffered by part of the building remaining upright were assessed.