• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.75-95
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• 2003

A numerical model is presented to simulate the mechanical behaviour of composite steel and concrete columns taking into account the interaction between the hollow steel section and the concrete core. The model, based on displacement finite element methods with an Updated Lagrangian formulation, allows for geometrical and material non linearities combined with heating over all or a part of the section and column length. Comparisons of numerical calculations made using the model with 33 fire resistance tests show that the model is able to predict the fire resistance, expressed in minutes of fire exposure, of composite columns with a good accuracy.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 1997.11a
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• pp.93-103
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• 1997

This paper gives an overview of the CBUF project. The work described is the collective effort of 11 CBUF partners, laboratories, universities, industries, in 8 countries. It became possible to do this research thanks to the European Commission interest in the burning behaviour of upholstered furniture and their willingness to sponsor this large effort. The opportunity to work with the many of the most prominent fire researchers and furniture experts have been extremely rewarding. All the expertise of these scientists have resulted in a lot of research results that are presented. The article only gives the main findings and conclusions of the project, namely the presentation of the fire safety design procedure of the CBUF project. Other articles will deal with specific modelling topics and an extensive description of the project can be found in the final CBUF report EUR 16477 EN.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.243-264
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• 2008

This paper details a testing facility ("NATURAL FIRE FACILITY") that allows closely-controlled experimental testing on full-scale sub-frames while reproducing the spatially transient temperature conditions measured in real fires. Using this test facility, an experimental investigation of six steel sub-frames under a natural fire was carried out at the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Coimbra. The main objective of these tests was to provide insight into the influence of these connection types on the behaviour of steel sub-structures under fire. The experimental layout is defined by two thermally insulated HEA300 columns and an unprotected IPE300 beam with 5.7 m span, supporting a composite concrete slab. Beam-to-column connections are representative of the most common joint type used on buildings: welded joints and extended, flush and partial depth plate. Finally, the available results are presented and discussed: evolution of the steel temperature; development of displacements and local deformations and failure modes on the joints zone.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.139-148
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• 2019

The lightweight structures such as domes are particularly vulnerable when it has been subjected to high temperature induced by the fire. It is therefore crucial to predict the possible instability path of structures exposed to the fire in structural design process. In this study, the instabilities of single-layer domes is investigated by using finite element technologies with the consideration of high temperature. The material properties of members under high temperature are considered by using the reduction factors which is provided in Eurocodes 3. Some damage patterns are assumed with use of a structural unit which is symmetric in radial direction. For numerical evaluations, the geometrically nonlinear truss element is implemented and the arch-length control method is employed to trace the post-buckling behaviour of domes. From numerical results, it is found to be that a significant change of post-buckling behaviour is detected in dome structures when structural members are exposed to the fire.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.367-386
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• 2006

This paper describes the results of a numerical investigation of the large deflection behaviour of steel beams under fire conditions, taking into consideration the effect of catenary action provided by the surrounding structures. The main focus is on the development, validation and application of a simplified calculation method that may be adopted in design calculations. Because no experimental result is available for validation of the simplified calculation method, the finite element program ABAQUS has been used to simulate the large deflection behaviour of a number of steel beams so as to provide alternative results for validation of the proposed method. Utilising catenary action has the potential of eliminating fire protection to all steel beams without causing structural failure in fire. However, practical application of catenary action will be restricted by concerns over large beam deflection causing integrity failure of the fire resistant compartment and additional cost of strengthening the connections and the surrounding structures to resist the catenary forces in the steel beams. This paper will provide a discussion on practical implications of utilising catenary action in steel beams as a means of eliminating fire protection. A number of examples will then be provided to illustrate the type of steel framed structure that could benefit the most from exploiting catenary action in fire resistant design.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.105-118
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• 2007

On September $11^{th}$ 2001, the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were struck by two hijacked airplanes. Despite severe local damage induced by the impact, the towers were able to sustain 102 and 56 minutes of the subsequent multi-storey fires before collapsing. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the in-fire performance of composite trusses by examining the behaviour of the longer-span type used in the towers. It makes no attempt to be a forensic study of the actual events. Using the finite element package Vulcan, the structural mechanics of typical long-span composite floor trusses are explained, under a variety of scenarios, as the fire temperatures rise. Different boundary conditions, degrees of protection and loading are all covered, the results being presented mainly in the form of graphs of deflection and internal force of members against time.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.78 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2021

This work studies the behaviour of a steel portal frame selection under fire exposure, considering both span lengths and fire exposure times as variables. Such structures combine carbon steel (S275), fireproof micro-alloyed steel (FR), and coatings of intumescent paint with variable thicknesses, improving thereby the flame retardant behaviour of the steel structure. Thus, the main contribution of this study is the optimization of the portal frames by combining both steels, analysing the resulting costs influence on the final dimensions. Besides, the topological optimization of each steel component within the structure is also defined, in accordance with the following variables: weather conditions, span, paint thickness, and cost of steel. The results mainly confirmed that using both FR and S275 grades with intumescent painting is the Pareto optimum when considering performance, feasibility and costs of such portal frames widely used for industrial facilities.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2008

Observations from experiments and real fire indicate that restrained steel beams have better fire-resistant capability than isolated beams. Due to the effects of restraints, a steel beam in fire condition can undergo very large deflections and the run away damage may be avoided. In addition, axial forces will be induced with temperature increasing and play an important role on the behaviour of the restrained beam. The factors influencing the behavior of a restrained beam subjected to fire include the stiffness of axial and rotational restraints, the load type on the beam and the distribution of temperature in the cross-section of the beam, etc. In this paper, a simplified model is proposed to analyze the performance of restrained steel beams in fire condition. Based on an assumption of the deflection curve of the beam, the axial force, together with the strain and stress distributions in the beam, can be determined. By integrating the stress, the combined moment and force in the cross-section of the beam can be obtained. Then, through substituting the moment and axial force into the equilibrium equation, the behavior of the restrained beam in fire condition can be worked out. Furthermore, for the safety evaluation and repair after a fire, the behaviour of restrained beams during cooling should be understood. For a restrained beam experiencing very high temperatures, the strength of the steel will recover when temperature decreases, but the contraction force, which is produced by thermal contraction, will aggravate the tensile stresses in the beam. In this paper, the behaviour of the restrained beam in cooling phase is analyzed, and the effect of the contraction force is discussed.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.327-342
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• 2018

Geopolymer concrete (GPC), which is recognised as an environmentally friendly alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete, has been reported to possess high fire resistance. However, very limited research has been conducted to investigate the behaviour of geopolymer concrete-filled steel tubular (GCFST) columns at either ambient or elevated temperatures. This paper presents the compressive test results of a total of 15 circular concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) stub columns, including 5 specimens tested at room temperature, 5 specimens tested at elevated temperatures and the remaining 5 specimens tested for residual strength after exposure to elevated temperatures. The main variables in the test program include: (a) concrete type; (b) concrete strength; and (c) curing condition of geopolymer concrete. The test results demonstrate that GCFST columns have similar ambient temperature behaviour compared with the conventional CFST counterparts. However, GCFST columns exhibit better fire resistance than the conventional CFST columns. Meanwhile, it is found that the GCFST column made with heat cured GPC has lower strength loss than other columns after exposure to elevated temperatures. The research results highlight the possibility of using geopolymer concrete to improve the fire resistance of CFST columns.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.743-752
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• 2019

Steel and concrete composite structures are commonly applied in multi-story buildings as they maximise the material strength through composite action. Despite the popularity of employing a trapezoidal deck slab, limited experimental data are available under elevated temperatures. The behaviour of the headed shear stud embedded in a transverse trapezoidal deck and solid slab was investigated at both ambient and fire conditions. Twelve push-out tests were conducted according to the ISO 834 standard fire utilising a customised electric furnace. A stud shearing failure was observed in the solid slab specimen, whereas the failure mode was changed from a concrete-dominated failure to the stud shearing in the transverse deck specimen with an increase in temperature. Comparisons between the experimental observations and design requirements are presented. The Eurocode design guidance on the transverse deck slab gives a highly conservative estimate for shear resistance. A new design formula was proposed to determine the capacity of the shear connection regardless of the slab type when the stud shearing occurs at high temperatures.