Numerical simulations of disproportionate collapses of tall timber buildings under fire conditions using FEM

For tall timber buildings, accidental damage under fire conditions can be disastrous so it is essential for designers to make sure the designed tall timber buildings are robust enough. Although there are no specific design codes or guides for tall timer buildings under fire conditions, they could still be designed and constructed based on current Eurocodes, together with the performance based design approach, innovative construction technology and engineered timber products. This research is to explore the feasibility of two 30-storey tall timber buildings constructed with CLT only or combined CLT and Glulam (Buildings A and B) using commercial finite element software SAP2000 combined with the reduced cross-section method under fire conditions. One case for disproportionate collapses of Building A subjected to a standard fire for up to 120 mins is simulated by removing an internal wall. For Building B, one situation is simulated by removing an internal column. Both simulated tall timber buildings are assumed located in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.