Stability and Integrity of Cold-formed Steel Mid-rise Building in Post-Earthquake Fire

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Following its great success in North America, the worldwide trend of applying cold-formed steel framing in residential and commercial building construction is advancing to mid-rise buildings up to nine storeys, particularly in seismic regions, where such buildings traditionally have relied on heavier construction materials. Historically, risks associated with fire following a strong earthquake are very high (1906 San Francisco, 1923 Tokyo, 1989 Loma Prieta, 1994 Northridge and 1995 Kobe), posing a major threat to public safety and property in seismic regions. Buildings are currently designed to conform to modern building codes treating earthquakes and fires as separate hazards, and fire safety is based on the assumption of the integrity and normal performance of fireproofing and structural system. In the case of post-earthquake fire, both systems can be damaged in an earthquake; therefore, the structural resistances to subsequent fires can be seriously degraded.