• 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.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.8-13
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• 2011

The fire compartments which are composed of fire walls and fire doors for buildings are compulsorily required to minimize the fire damage in Korea. The performance standards of fire doors for compartments are regulated by the notification of the ministry of land, transport and maritime affairs and are mainly about the Integrity of the doors not insulation. In this study, we measured the radiant heat of six different kinds of fire doors in fire and analyzed the results and presented the reasons of the need to consider adding the radiant heat standard for fire doors to the notification.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.19 no.3 s.59
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• pp.20-27
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• 2005

This paper evaluates the fire safety level of eight pump rooms in the nuclear power plant using a fire model, CFAST We estimate the Conditional Core Damage Probability (CCDP) of each room based on the analyzed results of CFAST Eight rooms located on the primary auxiliary building of the nuclear power plant are high pressure safety injection pump room A/B, low pressure safety injection pump room Am. containment sprdy pump room A/B, and motor-driven auxiliary feed water pump room A/B. The upper layer gas temperature of each room is estimated and the integrity of cable is reviewed. Based on the results, the integrity of the cable located at the upper part of compartment is maintained without thermal damage. The Conditional Core Damage Probability Is reduced to half of the old values. Accordingly, the fire safety assessment for eight pump rooms using the fire model will be capable of reducing the uncertainty and to develop a more realistic model.