A Simplified Method for Determining Fire Resistance of RC Columns Using Fire-Resistance-Column-Curves Approach

Khaled Ahmed Mahmoud*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Eurocode-2 (EC2) empirical equation for fire resistance of RC columns is very sensitive to the value of column capacity at normal temperature conditions NRd. Techniques to determine NRd accurately for eccentric slender columns are difficult and computationally demanding; thus, adopting simplifications leads to unsatisfactory results in many column cases. Another shortcoming of EC2 equation is that it does not include an explicit term regarding the effect of load eccentricity on fire resistance. In this paper, a simplified method, as an attempt to overcome EC2 method defects, is developed to determine the fire resistance of RC columns using fire-resistance-column-curves. A rational numerical model is used to analyze various series of RC columns with different geometric, material, and loading properties at elevated temperatures. The results of the numerical study are utilized to construct different fire-resistance-column-curves from which simplified design equations are developed to predict the fire resistance of fixed- and pinned-end RC columns. The validity of the method is established with the aid of experimental data and it was found that in most cases, there is good agreement between assessed and test columns. It was also found that the proposed equations provide sufficiently safe predictions when appropriate material safety factors are adopted. The applicability of the proposed method to fire resistance design of RC columns is illustrated through numerical examples.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3443-3474
Number of pages32
JournalFire Technology
Volume60
Issue number5
Early online dateMay 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2024
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Column curves
  • Fire resistance
  • RC column
  • Simplified method

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