International Conference International Conference

Applications of Structural Fire Applications of Structural Fire EngineeringEngineering Prague 19Prague 19--20 February, 20 February, 20092009

António J. P. Moura Correia a, João Paulo C. Rodrigues a & Valdir Pignatta e Silva bEXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON THE FIRE BEHAVIOUR

� The aim of this study was to analyse the thermal behaviour of steel columns embedded on one-leaf walls. Fire resistance tests with

two different column cross-sections, two orientations of the inertia axis in relation to the fire and two thicknesses of one-leaf buildingwalls, were tested. The experimental results were compared with the ones obtained in the FE program SUPERTEMPCALC.

� OBJECTIVES

Rodrigues a & Valdir Pignatta e Silva b

a Faculty of Sciences and Technology of University of Coimbra, Portugal.bPolytechnic School of University of S. Paulo, Brazil.

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON THE FIRE BEHAVIOUR OF STEEL COLUMNS EMBEDDED ON WALLS

walls, were tested. The experimental results were compared with the ones obtained in the FE program SUPERTEMPCALC.

� EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM

� Columns of cross-sections HEA160 and

HEA200, steel S355, embedded on one-leaf brick walls were tested (Fig. 2).

� The columns were placed in the center of a

S53cm10cm

81cm

� The columns were placed in the center of a

3D restraining frame. This frame hadcolumns HEA200, 3m tall and beamsHEA200, 6m span, steel S355 (Fig. 3).

� The specimens had thermocouples type kin different positions of the cross-section ofthe columns and on the walls (Fig. 1).

� The evolution of temperatures in the

furnace followed the ISO 834 standard fire

S2

S3

S4

294

cm

T5

T6

T3T4

T2T1

Cross Section

81cm

56cm

56cm Fig. 2 – Cases study

Fig. 1 - Position of the thermocouples

� RESULTS

furnace followed the ISO 834 standard firecurve (Fig. 3).

Web parallel to the wall surface:

S13cm

45cm

10cm

In graphs, th_2 stands for the thicker

Fig. 3 - Construction of the test model� The temperature in the flange not

exposed to the fire, is higher in thecase of the walls of smaller

thicknesses (Fig. 4a)).

� In the face of the web exposed to thefire, the temperatures are slightly

higher for the thin than for the thickwalls (Fig. 4b)).

walls, and th_1 for thinner walls

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Tem

pera

ture

(ºC

)

T3_exp_th_2

T3_STC_th_2

T3_exp_th_1

T3_STC_th_1

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Tem

pera

ture

(ºC

)

T6_exp_th_2

T6_STC_th_2

T6_exp_th_1

T6_STC_th_1

walls (Fig. 4b)).

Web perpendicular to the wall surface:

� The temperature in the exposed

flange is higher in the case of the thinthan in the thick walls (Fig. 5a)).

� In some cases a higher temperature

in the unexposed flange was

a) b)

Fig. 4 - HEA 200 with the web parallel to the wall (cases 3 and 7); thermocouple a) T6 ; b) T3

0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Time (minutes)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Time (minutes)

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Tem

pera

ture

(ºC

)

T5_exp_th_2

T5_STC_th_2

T5_exp_th_1

T5_STC_th_1 300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Tem

pera

ture

(ºC

)

T6_exp_th_2

T6_STC_th_2

T6_exp_th_1

T6_STC_th_1

� CONCLUSIONS

� For cases with the web parallel to the wall surface it was concluded that the thicker wall plays an important role in reducing the

temperatures in the unexposed half of the flange and also in the web.

in the unexposed flange wasobserved with the thicker wall.

a) b)

Fig. 5 - HEA 200 - web perpendicular to the wall (cases 4 and 8); thermocouples a) T5 ; b) T6

0

100

200

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Tem

pera

ture

(ºC

)

Time (minutes)

0

100

200

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Tem

pera

ture

(ºC

)

Time (minutes)

� For cases with the web perpendicular to the wall surface it was observed, in the unexposed face of the flange, higher temperatureswith the thicker wall. On the contrary on the exposed flange the temperatures are much higher with thin walls.

CIEC – Center for Research in Civil Engineering

Research Group on Fire Safety EngineeringDepartamento de Engenharia Civil da Faculdade de

Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de CoimbraRua Luís Reis Santos. 3030-788 Coimbra. PORTUGAL.

Telef: +351 239 797100. Fax: +351 239 797123.

Sponsors:

Escola Politécnica da Universidade de S. Paulo,

Departamento de Engenharia de Estruturas e Geotécnica, BRASIL.