Fire resistance of DELTABEAM® composite beams: a numerical investigation

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chrysanthos Maraveas

Purpose The DELTA® beam composite floor system is a recently developed shallow floor type that has seen many applications in contemporary construction. It involves partially encasing DELTA® steel beams in concrete, with the lower flange remaining exposed. Besides the satisfactory behavior of the system at ambient conditions, understanding its response under elevated temperatures is critical in evaluating its overall performance. Despite certification from the manufacturing company that the system has adequate fire resistance, its behavior under fire conditions has neither been investigated to depth nor reported in detail. The purpose of this paper is the detailed numerical investigation of their behavior in fire. For this reason, the finite element method was implemented in this paper to simulate the response of such beams subjected to fire. Material properties were modeled according to the Eurocodes. The coupled thermal-structural parametric analyses involved four different variations of the “shortest” and “deepest” cross-section (eight case studies in total) specified by the manufacturing company. Other simulations of these cross-sections, in which either the thermal expansion or the structural load were not taken into account, were carried out for comparison purposes. Design/methodology/approach The methodology for simulating such systems, which has been successfully implemented and validated against fire test results elsewhere (Maraveas et al., 2012) was also followed here. To investigate the statement made by Maraveas et al. (2014) and the equations proposed by Zaharia and Franssen (2012) that the insulation is not so effective for “short” cross-sections, two beams, one with a D20-200 (Deltabeam Technical Manual, 2013) cross-section (shallowest section) and one with a D50-600 (Deltabeam Technical Manual, 2013) cross-section (deepest section), were simulated in this paper for comparison purposes. Additionally, reasonable assumptions were made for the cross-sectional dimensions not specified by the manufacturer (Deltabeam Technical Manual, 2013) and parametric analyses were carried out to investigate their effect on the structural response of the system. Findings Composite DELTA® beams can achieve fire resistances ranging from 120 to 180 min, depending on the depth and geometry of their cross-section, with deeper sections displaying a better fire response. The intense thermal bowing that occurs when these beams are heated from below has a more pronounced effect, in terms of thermally induced deflections for deeper sections. The satisfactory fire resistance of these beams is achieved due to the action of the concrete encased web and the reinforcement which compensate for the loss of the exposed lower flange. Increasing the thickness of the web in deeper sections improves their fire rating up to 180 min. The thickness of the lower flange affects the fire rating of the beams only in a minor way. Practical/implications The paper describes a numerical methodology to estimate the fire resistance of complex flooring systems.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávio Arrais ◽  
Nuno Lopes ◽  
Paulo Vila Real

PurposeSigma cross-section profiles are often chosen for their lightness and ability to support large spans, offering a favourable bending resistance. However, they are more susceptible to local, distortional and lateral-torsional buckling, as possible failure modes when compared to common I-sections and hollow cross-sections. However, the instability phenomena associated to these members are not completely understood in fire situation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyse the behaviour of beams composed of cold-formed sigma sections at elevated temperatures.Design/methodology/approachThis study presents a numerical analysis, using advanced methods by applying the finite element software SAFIR. A numerical analysis of the behaviour of simply supported cold-formed sigma beams in the case of fire is presented considering different cross-section slenderness values, elevated temperatures, steel grades and bending moment diagrams. Comparisons are made between the obtained numerically ultimate bending capacities and the design bending resistances from Eurocode 3 Part 1–2 rules and its respective French National Annex (FN Annex).FindingsThe current design expressions revealed to be over conservative when compared with the obtained numerical results. It was possible to observe that the FN Annex is less conservative than the general prescriptions, the first having a better agreement with the numerical results.Originality/valueFollowing the previous comparisons, new fire design formulae are analysed. This new methodology, which introduces minimum changes in the existing formulae, provides at the same time safety and accuracy when compared to the numerical results, considering the occurrence of local, distortional and lateral-torsional buckling phenomena in these members at elevated temperatures.


2021 ◽  
pp. 000370282199044
Author(s):  
Wubin Weng ◽  
Shen Li ◽  
Marcus Aldén ◽  
Zhongshan Li

Ammonia (NH3) is regarded as an important nitrogen oxides (NOx) precursor and also as an effective reductant for NOx removal in energy utilization through combustion, and it has recently become an attractive non-carbon alternative fuel. To have a better understanding of thermochemical properties of NH3, accurate in situ detection of NH3 in high temperature environments is desirable. Ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy is a feasible technique. To achieve quantitative measurements, spectrally resolved UV absorption cross-sections of NH3 in hot gas environments at different temperatures from 295 K to 590 K were experimentally measured for the first time. Based on the experimental results, vibrational constants of NH3 were determined and used for the calculation of the absorption cross-section of NH3 at high temperatures above 590 K using the PGOPHER software. The investigated UV spectra covered the range of wavelengths from 190 nm to 230 nm, where spectral structures of the [Formula: see text] transition of NH3 in the umbrella bending mode, v2, were recognized. The absorption cross-section was found to decrease at higher temperatures. For example, the absorption cross-section peak of the (6, 0) vibrational band of NH3 decreases from ∼2 × 10−17 to ∼0.5 × 10−17 cm2/molecule with the increase of temperature from 295 K to 1570 K. Using the obtained absorption cross-section, in situ nonintrusive quantification of NH3 in different hot gas environments was achieved with a detection limit varying from below 10 parts per million (ppm) to around 200 ppm as temperature increased from 295 K to 1570 K. The quantitative measurement was applied to an experimental investigation of NH3 combustion process. The concentrations of NH3 and nitric oxide (NO) in the post flame zone of NH3–methane (CH4)–air premixed flames at different equivalence ratios were measured.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 558-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aníbal J.J. Valido ◽  
João Barradas Cardoso

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a design sensitivity analysis continuum formulation for the cross-section properties of thin-walled laminated composite beams. These properties are expressed as integrals based on the cross-section geometry, on the warping functions for torsion, on shear bending and shear warping, and on the individual stiffness of the laminates constituting the cross-section. Design/methodology/approach In order to determine its properties, the cross-section geometry is modeled by quadratic isoparametric finite elements. For design sensitivity calculations, the cross-section is modeled throughout design elements to which the element sensitivity equations correspond. Geometrically, the design elements may coincide with the laminates that constitute the cross-section. Findings The developed formulation is based on the concept of adjoint system, which suffers a specific adjoint warping for each of the properties depending on warping. The lamina orientation and the laminate thickness are selected as design variables. Originality/value The developed formulation can be applied in a unified way to open, closed or hybrid cross-sections.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattia Tiso ◽  
Alar Just

Purpose Insulation materials’ contribution to the fire resistance of timber frame assemblies may vary considerably. At present, Eurocode 5 provides a model for fire design of the load-bearing function of timber frame assemblies with cavities completely filled with stone wool. Very little is known about the fire protection provided by other insulation materials. An improved design model which has the potential to consider the contribution of any insulation material has been introduced by the authors. This paper aims to analyze the parameters that describe in a universal way the protection against the charring given by different insulations not included in Eurocode 5. Design/methodology/approach A series of model-scale furnace tests of floor specimens for three different insulation materials were carried out. An analysis on the charring depth of the residual cross-sections was conducted by means of a resistograph device. Findings The study explains the criteria and procedure followed to derive the coefficients for the improved design model for three insulations involved in the study. Originality/value This research study involves a large experimental work which forms the basis of the proposed design model. This study presents an important step for fire resistance calculations of timber frame assemblies.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwamuyiwa Okunrounmu ◽  
Osama (Sam) Salem ◽  
George Hadjisophocleous

PurposeThe fire resistance of timber structures is heavily dependent on the fire behaviour of the connections between its structural elements. The experimental study presented in this paper aimed to investigate the fire performance of glued-laminated timber beam connections reinforced perpendicular-to-wood grain with self-tapping screws (STS).Design/methodology/approachTwo full-size fire experiments were conducted on glulam beam-end connections loaded in flexure bending. Two connection configurations, each utilizing four steel bolts arranged in two different patterns, were reinforced perpendicular to wood grain using STS. The bolt heads and nuts and the steel plate top and bottom edges were fire protected using wood plugs and strips, respectively. Each connection configuration was loaded to 100% of the ultimate design load of the weakest unreinforced configuration. The test assemblies were exposed to elevated temperatures that followed the CAN/ULC-S101 standard fire time–temperature curve.FindingsThe experimental results show that the influence of the STS was significant as it prevented the occurrence of wood splitting and row shear-out and as a result, increased the fire resistance time of the connections. The time to failure of both connection configurations exceeded the minimum fire resistance rating specified as 45 min for combustible construction in applicable building codes.Originality/valueThe experimental data show the effectiveness of a simple fire protection system (i.e. wood plugs and strips) along with the utilization of STS on the rotational behaviour, charring rate, fire resistance time and failure mode of the proposed hybrid mass timber beam-end connection configurations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-70
Author(s):  
I. I. Palevoda ◽  
D. S. Nekhan

Introduction. Spun reinforced concrete columns are widely used in the present-day international construction practice. Known formulas, used to calculate temperatures of cross sections of reinforced concrete structures, needed to assess their fire resistance limit, are successfully applied to homogeneous structures that have solid sections. However, they are inapplicable to spun reinforced concrete columns due to their structural features. The purpose of this work is to develop a method for solving a thermal problem of spun reinforced concrete columns and adapt existing calculation formulas.Materials and methods. This work addresses the heating of spun reinforced concrete structures in case of fire. Ansys Workbench was employed to perform the computer simulation needed to study the influence of the characteristics of spun reinforced concrete columns on their heating. Results and discussion. In the course of the theoretical studies, the effect, produced by column cavities, the heterogeneity of spun concrete and thin walls of these structures on the heating of their cross sections was assessed with regard for the results of full-scale fire tests of spun reinforced concrete columns. Correction coefficients were obtained in order to take account of these factors. A regression equation was derived as a result of the simulation performed in the context of a full-scale factorial experiment involving coefficient khol, which takes into account the rising temperature of hollow reinforced concrete structures in comparison with solid ones. Khet heating acceleration coefficient is applicable to spun reinforced concrete structures due to the heterogeneity of concrete in the cross section. This coefficient represents a function of the wall thickness. Coefficient kth, which allows for the heating acceleration in the course of crack opening in thin-walled structures, varies in the range of 1.00…1.40. The concrete cracking temperature is 550 °C.Conclusion. A new method allows to solve the thermal problem of fire resistance of spun reinforced concrete columns. The engineering formula used to calculate the temperature in a cross-section was adapted. The results of computer-aided simulation and calculation of temperature values, performed using the adapted formula, show acceptable convergence with the experimental data.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-140
Author(s):  
Meisam Hassani ◽  
Mohammad Safi ◽  
Reza Rasti Ardakani ◽  
Amir Saedi Daryan

Purpose This paper aims to predict the fire resistance of steel-reinforced concrete columns by application of the genetic algorithm. Design/methodology/approach In total, 11 effective parameters are considered including mechanical and geometrical properties of columns and loading values as input parameters and the duration of concrete resistance at elevated temperatures as the output parameter. Then, experimental data of several studies – with extensive ranges – are collected and divided into two categories. Findings Using the first set of the data along with the gene expression programming (GEP), the fire resistance predictive model of steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) composite columns is presented. By application of the second category, evaluation and validation of the proposed model are investigated as well, and the correspondent time-temperature diagrams are derived. Originality/value The relative error of 10% and the R coefficient of 0.9 for the predicted model are among the highlighted results of this validation. Based on the statistical errors, a fair agreement exists between the experimental data and predicted values, indicating the appropriate performance of the proposed GEP model for fire resistance prediction of SRC columns.


2011 ◽  
Vol 383-390 ◽  
pp. 3241-3248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waluyo Adi Siswanto ◽  
Badrul Omar ◽  
Shamsir Shukri

A front bumper of a car is attached to the main vehicle structure by using hollow metals. This paper investigates various cross section profiles that can be used as bumper attachments. Several cross section profiles with the same circumscribe are firstly selected, i.e. round, square, triangular and hexagonal shape cross sections. Each model is then numerically impacted in an axial mode as if it is crashed into a rigid wall with an impacting velocity of 10 m/s or equivalent to 36 m/s. A dynamic-explicit open source software Impact is employed to do the simulation. The displacement results are monitored in the first 1:8ms then compared to the models that can absorb better showing the less displaced in certain examination nodes. The results shows that the triangle cross section performs better compared to other cross sections.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávio Arrais ◽  
Nuno Lopes ◽  
Paulo Vila Real

Purpose Steel beams composed of cold-formed sections are common in buildings because of their lightness and ability to support large spans. However, the instability phenomena associated to these members are not completely understood in fire situation. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyse the behaviour of beams composed of cold-formed lipped channel sections at elevated temperatures. Design/methodology/approach A numerical analysis is made, applying the finite element program SAFIR, on the behaviour of simply supported cold formed steel beams at elevated temperatures. A parametric study, considering several cross-sections with different slenderness’s values, steel grades and bending diagrams, is presented. The obtained numerical results are compared with the design bending resistances determined from Eurocode 3 Part 1-2 and its French National Annex (FN Annex). Findings The current design expressions revealed to be too conservative when compared with the obtained numerical results. It was possible to observe that the FN Annex is less conservative than the Annex E, the first having a better agreement with the numerical results. Originality/value Following the previous comparisons, new fire design formulae are tested. This new methodology, which introduces minimum changes in the existing formulae, provides safety and accuracy at the same time when compared to the numerical results, considering the occurrence of local, distortional and lateral torsional buckling phenomena in these members at elevated temperatures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-339
Author(s):  
Ahmed Allam ◽  
Ayman Nassif ◽  
Ali Nadjai

Purpose This paper aims to investigate computationally and analytically how different levels of restraint from surrounding structure, via catenary action in beams, affect the survival of steel framed structures in fire. This study focuses on examining the mid-span deflection and the tensile axial force of a non-composite heated steel beam at large deflection that is induced by the catenary action during exposure to fires. The study also considers the effect of the axial horizontal restraints, load-ratio, beam temperature gradient and the span/depth ratio. It was found that these factors influence the heated steel beam within steel construction and its catenary action at large deflection. The study suggests that this may help the beam to hang to the surrounding cold structure and delay the run-away deflection when the tensile axial force of the beam has been overcome. Design/methodology/approach This paper is part one of the parametric study and discusses both the effect of the axial horizontal restraints and load-ratio on the heated steel-beam. Reliance on the prescriptive standard fire solutions may lead to an unpredicted behaviour of the structure members if the impact of potential real fires is not considered. Findings Variation of the horizontal end-restraint level has a major effect on the behaviour of the beam at high deflection, and the loading on a beam at large displacement can be carried effectively by catenary behaviour. An increase of axial horizontal stiffness helps the catenary action to prevent run-away at lower deflections. The studies also investigated the influence of varying the load ratio on the behaviour of the heated beam at large deflection and how it affects the efficacy of the catenary action. The study suggests that care should be taken when selecting the load ratio to be used in the design. Originality/value In a recent work, the large deflection behaviours of axially restrained corrugated web steel beam (CWSB) at elevated temperatures were investigated using a finite element method (Wang et al., 2014). Parameters that greatly affected behaviours of CWSB at elevated temperatures were the load ratio, the axial restraint stiffness ratio and the span–depth ratio. Other works included numerical studies on large deflection behaviours of restrained castellated steel beams in a fire where the impact of the catenary action is considered (Wang, 2002). The impact of the induced axial forces in the steel beam during cooling stage of a fire when the beam temperature decreases, if thermal shortening of the beam is restrained, large tensile forces may be induced in the beam (Wang, 2005; Allam et al., 2002). A performance-based approach is developed for assessing the fire resistance of restrained beams. The approach is based on equilibrium and compatibility principles, takes into consideration the influence of many factors, including fire scenario, end restraints, thermal gradient, load level and failure criteria, in evaluating fire resistance (Dwaikat and Kodur, 2011; Allam et al., 1998).


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