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

继在北美取得巨大成功后，在住宅和商业建筑中应用冷弯薄壁型钢框架的全球趋势正在向九层以下的中层建筑发展，特别是在地震区，这些建筑传统上依赖较重的建筑材料。从历史上看，强烈地震后与火灾相关的风险非常高(1906年旧金山、1923年东京、1989年洛马普里埃塔、1994年北岭和1995年神户)，对地震区的公共安全和财产构成重大威胁。目前，建筑物的设计符合现代建筑规范，将地震和火灾视为独立的危险，而消防安全是基于防火和结构系统的完整性和正常性能的假设。在震后火灾的情况下，两个系统都可能在地震中受损；因此，结构对后续火灾的抵抗力可能会严重退化。 这项研究的目的是开发一种实用和先进的方法来评估地震后火灾中冷弯薄壁型钢结构的稳定性和完整性。应该指出的是，过去没有开展过这方面的研究。由于这项拟议的研究解决了现代建筑法规(如加拿大国家建筑法规)没有适当解决的严重问题，因此研究的重要性在于提高建筑物的生命安全性能，包括改善对灾难性倒塌的保护，以保障公众以及地震后火灾时救援人员和消防员的安全。加拿大人和世界其他地方的人，特别是地震区的人，将受益于有更安全的建筑环境来生活和工作。考虑到地震后火灾的高度灾难性后果，加拿大关于预防地震后火灾的中层CFS建筑的设计研究势在必行。这项研究将开发具有所需技能的HQP，以应对对加拿大人的生命、安全和财产具有重要意义的技术和社会挑战。

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. The objective of the research proposed is to develop a practical and advanced methodology for assessing the stability and integrity of cold-formed steel (CFS) structures in post-earthquake fire. It should be noted that no research in this area has been carried out in the past. As the proposed research addresses a serious issue that modern building codes, like the National Building Code of Canada, have not appropriately addressed, the importance of the research is to enhance the life-safety performance of the structures, including improved protection against catastrophic collapse to safeguard the safety of the public as well as that of rescue workers and firefighters in the event of post-earthquake fire. Canadians and people elsewhere in the world, particularly those in seismic regions, will benefit from having significantly safer building environments in which to live and work. Considering the high catastrophic consequences of fire following earthquakes, research concerning the design of mid-rise CFS buildings to guard against post-earthquake fire is imperative and far overdue in Canada. This research will develop HQPs with the skills required to address technical and social challenges of significant importance to the life, safety and property of Canadians.