Investigating the Effect of Amount of Damage in Columns on Possible Occurrence of Collapsing in Flexural Frames under Earthquake

Considering the expansion of the field of study among the structural researchers regarding the structure behavior under different conditions, it would be a new research topic to assess structure behavior before earthquake, supposedly with preliminary deficiency or preliminary damage in elements. Man-made threats including gas cylinder explosion, intentional sabotage, or vehicle collision with the main elements of the building like columns, can set bases for huge destructions or total demolitions of the structures under natural earthquakes. In this study, after designing a 3D steel structure based on valid regulations, the mid-frame is cropped and modelled by ABAQUS software. With and without column deficiency, the frame is subjected to three records with maximum various acceleration to find the drift response of each story. The results show that the presence of preliminary deficiency in the columns can alter the response significantly. As well, the results indicate that the performance rate of the structure at the desired records vary from elastic and immediate occupancy to life safety performance level.