scholarly journals Fire performance of concrete-encased CFST columns and beam-column joints

Author(s):  
Lin-Han Han ◽  
Kan Zhou

Concrete-encased CFST (concrete filled steel tube) structure is a type of composite structure featuring an inner CFST component and an outer reinforced concrete (RC) component. They are gaining popularity in high-rise buildings and large-span buildings in China nowadays. To date, the behaviour of concrete-encased CFST structures at ambient temperature has been investigated, but their fire performance has seldom been addressed, including the performance in fire and after exposure to fire. This paper summarizes the fire test results of concrete-encased CFST columns and beam-column joints. The cruciform beam-column joint was composed of one continuous concrete-encased CFST column and two cantilevered reinforced concrete (RC) beams. These specimens were subjected to a combined effect of load and full-range fire. The test procedure included four phases, i.e. a loading phase at ambient temperature, a standard fire exposure phase with constant load applied, a sequential cooling phase and a postfire loading phase. The main findings are presented and analysed. Two types of failure were identified, i.e. the failure during fire exposure and the failure during postfire loading. Global buckling failure was observed for all the column specimens. The column specimens with common load ratios achieved high fire ratings without additional fire protection. The concrete-encased CFST columns also retained high postfire residual strength. As for the joint members, beam failure was observed in all cases. The measured temperature-time history and deformation-time history are also presented and discussed. For both the column and joint specimens, the deformation over the cooling phase was significantly greater than that in the standard fire exposure phase.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-543
Author(s):  
Anjaly Nair ◽  
Osama (Sam) Salem

Purpose At elevated temperatures, concrete undergoes changes in its mechanical and thermal properties, which mainly cause degradation of strength and eventually may lead to the failure of the structure. Retrofitting is a desirable option to rehabilitate fire damaged concrete structures. However, to ensure safe reuse of fire-exposed buildings and to adopt proper retrofitting methods, it is essential to evaluate the residual load-bearing capacity of such fire-damaged reinforced concrete structures. The focus of the experimental study presented in this paper aims to investigate the fire performance of concrete columns exposed to a standard fire, and then evaluate its residual compressive strengths after fire exposure of different durations. Design/methodology/approach To effectively study the fire performance of such columns, eight identical 200 × 200 × 1,500-mm high reinforced concrete columns test specimens were subjected to two different fire exposure (1- and 2-h) while being loaded with two different load ratios (20% and 40% of the column ultimate design axial compressive load). In a subsequent stage and after complete cooling down, residual compressive strength capacity tests were performed on each fire exposed column. Findings Experimental results revealed that the columns never regain its original capacity after being subjected to a standard fire and that the residual compressive strength capacity dropped to almost 50% and 30% of its ambient temperature capacity for the columns exposed to 1- and 2-h fire durations, respectively. It was also noticed that, for the tested columns, the applied load ratio has much less effect on the column’s residual compressive strength compared to that of the fire duration. Originality/value According to the unique outcomes of this experimental study and, as the fire-damaged concrete columns possessed considerable residual compressive strength, in particular those exposed to shorter fire duration, it is anticipated that with proper retrofitting techniques such as fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) wrapping, the fire-damaged columns can be rehabilitated to regain at least portion of its lost load-bearing capacities. Accordingly, the residual compressive resistance data obtained from this study can be effectively used but not directly to adopt optimal retrofitting strategies for such fire-damaged concrete columns, as well as to be used in validating numerical models that can be usefully used to account for the thermally-induced degradation of the mechanical properties of concrete material and ultimately predict the residual compressive strengths and deformations of concrete columns subjected to different load intensity ratios for various fire durations.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irindu Upasiri ◽  
Chaminda Konthesingha ◽  
Anura Nanayakkara ◽  
Keerthan Poologanathan ◽  
Gatheeshgar Perampalam ◽  
...  

PurposeLight-Gauge Steel Frame (LSF) structures are popular in building construction due to their lightweight, easy erecting and constructability characteristics. However, due to steel lipped channel sections negative fire performance, cavity insulation materials are utilized in the LSF configuration to enhance its fire performance. The applicability of lightweight concrete filling as cavity insulation in LSF and its effect on the fire performance of LSF are investigated under realistic design fire exposure, and results are compared with standard fire exposure.Design/methodology/approachA Finite Element model (FEM) was developed to simulate the fire performance of Light Gauge Steel Frame (LSF) walls exposed to realistic design fires. The model was developed utilising Abaqus subroutine to incorporate temperature-dependent properties of the material based on the heating and cooling phases of the realistic design fire temperature. The developed model was validated with the available experimental results and incorporated into a parametric study to evaluate the fire performance of conventional LSF walls compared to LSF walls with lightweight concrete filling under standard and realistic fire exposures.FindingsNovel FEM was developed incorporating temperature and phase (heating and cooling) dependent material properties in simulating the fire performance of structures exposed to realistic design fires. The validated FEM was utilised in the parametric study, and results exhibited that the LSF walls with lightweight concrete have shown better fire performance under insulation and load-bearing criteria in Eurocode parametric fire exposure. Foamed Concrete (FC) of 1,000 kg/m3 density showed best fire performance among lightweight concrete filling, followed by FC of 650 kg/m3 and Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) 600 kg/m3.Research limitations/implicationsThe developed FEM is capable of investigating the insulation and load-bearing fire ratings of LSF walls. However, with the availability of the elevated temperature mechanical properties of the LSF wall, materials developed model could be further extended to simulate the complete fire behaviour.Practical implicationsLSF structures are popular in building construction due to their lightweight, easy erecting and constructability characteristics. However, due to steel-lipped channel sections negative fire performance, cavity insulation materials are utilised in the LSF configuration to enhance its fire performance. The lightweight concrete filling in LSF is a novel idea that could be practically implemented in the construction, which would enhance both fire performance and the mechanical performance of LSF walls.Originality/valueLimited studies have investigated the fire performance of structural elements exposed to realistic design fires. Numerical models developed in those studies have considered a similar approach as models developed to simulate standard fire exposure. However, due to the heating phase and the cooling phase of the realistic design fires, the numerical model should incorporate both temperature and phase (heating and cooling phase) dependent properties, which was incorporated in this study and validated with the experimental results. Further lightweight concrete filling in LSF is a novel technique in which fire performance was investigated in this study.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kinjo ◽  
T. Hirashima ◽  
S. Yusa ◽  
T. Horio ◽  
T. Matsumoto

Purpose Based on heating tests and load-bearing fire tests, this paper aims to discuss the charring rate, the temperature distribution in the section and the load-bearing capacity of structural glued laminated timber beams not only during the heating phase during a 1-h standard fire in accordance with ISO 834-1 but also during the cooling phase. Design/methodology/approach Heating tests were carried out to confirm the charring rate and the temperature distribution in the cross-section of the beams. Loading tests under fire conditions were carried out to obtain the load-deformation behavior (i.e. the stiffness, maximum load and ductility) of the beam. Findings The temperature at the centroid reached approximately 30°C after 1 h and then increased gradually until reaching 110-200°C after 4 h, during the cooling phase. The maximum load of the specimen exposed to a 1-h standard fire was reduced to approximately 30 per cent of that of the specimen at ambient temperature. The maximum load of the specimen exposed to a 1-h standard fire and 3 h of natural cooling in the furnace was reduced to approximately 14 per cent. In case of taking into consideration of the strength reduction at elevated temperature, the reduction ratio of the calculated bending resistance agreed with that of the test results during not only heating phase but also cooling phase. Originality/value The results of this study state that it is possible to study on strength reduction in cooling phase for end of heating, timber structural which has not been clarified. It is believed that it is possible to appropriately evaluate the fire performance, including the cooling phase of the timber structural.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3579
Author(s):  
Mathieu Létourneau-Gagnon ◽  
Christian Dagenais ◽  
Pierre Blanchet

Building elements are required to provide sufficient fire resistance based on requirements set forth in the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC). Annex B of the Canadian standard for wood engineering design (CSA O86-19) provides a design methodology to calculate the structural fire-resistance of large cross-section timber elements. However, it lacks at providing design provisions for connections. The objectives of this study are to understand the fire performance of modern mass timber fasteners such as self-tapping screws, namely to evaluate their thermo-mechanical behavior and to predict their structural fire-resistance for standard fire exposure up to two hours, as would be required for tall buildings in Canada. The results present the great fire performance of using self-tapping screws under a long time exposure on connections in mass timber construction. The smaller heated area of the exposed surface has limited thermal conduction along the fastener’s shanks and maintained their temperature profiles relatively low for two hours of exposure. Based on the heat-affected area, the study presents new design principles to determine the residual length of penetration that would provide adequate load-capacity of the fastener under fire conditions. It also allows determining safe fire-resistance values for unprotected fasteners in mass timber construction exposed up to two hours of standard fire exposure.


2014 ◽  
Vol 638-640 ◽  
pp. 1397-1401
Author(s):  
Kai Xiang ◽  
Guo Hui Wang ◽  
Yan Chong Pan

This paper presents a review of research progress in fire performance of concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns. Experimental results of CFST columns in fire are reviewed with influence parameters, such as heights, cross-sectional dimension, section types, concrete types, concrete strengths, load ratio, load eccentricity, fire exposed sides and so on. Some conclusions of CFST columns under fire conditions are summarized. Deficiencies in the fire performance experiments of CFST columns are identified, which provide the focus for future research in the field.


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