Design

for Fire and Robustness

Timisoara, 31.03-11.04.2014

European Erasmus Mundus Master Course

Sustainable Constructions
under Natural Hazards and Catastrophic Events
520121-1-2011-1-CZ-ERA MUNDUS-EMMC
 Steel structures

Raul ZAHARIA
Lecture 4: 1/04/2014

European Erasmus Mundus Master Course

Sustainable Constructions
under Natural Hazards and Catastrophic Events
520121-1-2011-1-CZ-ERA MUNDUS-EMMC
EN1993-1-2:

deals essentially with the load bearing capacity of steel elements and
structures mechanical resistance (criterion R)
does not deal with the insulation or integrity criteria of separating
elements (E and I)
no SLS verification
no tabulated data
the boundary conditions does not change during the fire
 The thermal analysis and the mechanical analysis
may be performed separately

Temperature depends on: Load bearing capacity depends on:

cross-section geometry, geometry (cross-section and static
possible thermal insulation, scheme),
fire, loads,
time, yield limit and E (for stability
problems),
temperature
The rules are generally given for uniform temperature on the cross-
sections. If the temperature varies on the cross-section:
- Tmax may be considered,
- the variation of the mechanical properties for different
temperature areas on the cross-section may be considered

b eff

b2 hc
e2
ew h
hw

e1
b1
Thermal analysis presented in Lecture 3

Unprotected steel

Am V
a ,t = k sh h net t
ca a

[ Am V ]b
ksh = =
[ Am V ]
Section factor A / V

A = perimeter of cross-section exposed to fire

V = area of cross-section

A> A<
V< V>
Fast heating Slow heating
Protected steel

p Ap/V ( g,t - a,t )

a,t = t (e /10 1) g,t
d pc a a (1 + /3)

Temperature

Steel Insulation Gas

V p
g,t
Ap

a,t

dp
 800

700

600

500

p Ap ( g,t - a,t )
a ,t = t

Tsteel [Deg C]
d pV ca a 400

( g,t - a,t )
= kp t 300
2000

ca a 1200

800

200 600

400

200
100

0
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240
TIME [min.]
Fire resistance : 3 Strategies

Three domains : Essentially used in

advanced calculation
models, but hand
calculation is possible.

Time domain : tfi.d > tfi.requ Calculation by hand

Load domain: Rfi.d.t > Efi.d.t

Temperature domain: cr.d > d

Less often used.
Clasic procedure
(load domain)
A 2 B Ed,fi
compute for t = treq
compute E(T) et fy(T)
compute Rd,fi,t treq tfailure time
comparison with Ed,fi
fire
Alternative 1
(temperature domain direct structure
calculation of the critical
temperature limited!) cr
compute Rd,fi,0 3 B
compute 0 = Ed,fi/Rd,fi,0
compute cr = f(0) A
compute cr avec (treq) treq tfailure time

NOMINAL FIRE
Alternative procedure only! 2
(time domain) A B Ed,fi

time
tfailure treq

t failure treq
1

cr
B 3
structure
fire
A time
tfailure treq

NATURAL FIRE
Stress-strain characteristic for carbon steel at elevated
temperatures
Stress-strain characteristic for carbon steel at elevated
temperatures
Variation of properties of carbon steel with temperature

E at 600C reduced aprox. 70%

Yield strength at 600C reduced aprox. 50%
EN 1993-1-2 Annex C. Stainless steel

Mechanical properties of stainless steels dont decrease as quickly with

temperature as those of carbon steel.
EN 1993-1-2 Annex E. Class 4 cross-sections
Classification of steel sections in the fire situation

Sections are classified as for

normal temperature design, 235
except that a temperature = 0.85
modified e is considered. fy

Slenderness of webs and Element Class 1 Class 2 Class 3

flanges are compared to:

Flange c/tf=9 c/tf=10 c/tf=14

Web in bending
d/tw=72 d/tw=83 d/tw=124

Web in d/tw=33 d/tw=38 d/tw=42

compression
 k E , E k E , E
E f y , = =
k y , f y k y , fy

1.2

1.0

0.8
SQRT(kE/ky) [-]

0.6

0.4 0.85 235 f y

0.2

0.0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Temperature [C]
 How to calculate the fire resistance?

Generally speaking, the procedures used to calculate the design

resistance of a steel member for the fire design situation are based on the
same methods and equations as the ones used for the normal temperature
situation, but modifying the mechanical properties of steel in order to take
the temperature increase into account.
 How to calculate the fire resistance?

In fact, the procedures used to calculate Rfi,d,t diverge in some aspects

from the procedure used at room temperature to calculate Rd.

a) for the evaluation of the buckling length of continuous columns in braced

frames,
b) for the buckling curves,
c) for the M-N interaction equations,
d) for the classification of the sections,
e) and for non uniform temperature distribution in beams.
How to calculate the fire resistance?

Design rules (simple calculation models) are given

in EN1993-1-2 for:

 Tension members
 Compression members (class 1, 2 or 3)
 Beams (class 1 or 2)
 Beams (class 3)
 Members subject to combined bending and compression
(class 1, 2 ou 3)
 Members with class 4 section
 Tension members
 Compression members (class 1, 2 or 3)
 Compression members (class 1, 2 or 3)

Because the non-dimensional slenderness in the fire situation depends on the

temperature, an iterative procedure appears. Convergence is usually very fast and it is
likely that one single iteration will be sufficient if, for the first determined temperature,
Eq. (4.7) is approximated by

Application of the above equation leads to a first approximation of the critical

temperature. The whole process can be repeated once with the exact Eq. (4.7) being
now used, with this first temperature being used to determine the non-dimensional
slenderness.
 Compression members (class 1, 2 or 3)
 Beams (class 1 or 2)
 Beams (class 1 or 2)
 Beams (class 1 or 2)
 Beams (class 1 or 2)
Coefficient k2 takes into account the fact that the temperature in steel
members may be colder in the zones near the supports than in the zones
that are far away from the supports, at mid-span for example.

This is because the material that physically constitutes the support of a

beam may shield the beam locally from the attack of the fire and may also
play the role of a heat sink.

Coefficient k1 takes into account the fact that the temperatures in the
section of a beam that supports a concrete slab are somewhat lower than
the temperatures that are calculated by the simple method.

Indeed, the simple method allows taking into account the fact that the upper
side of the upper flange is not submitted to the fire, by a simple modification
of the section factor. What is not taken into account by the simple model is
the heat sink effect = some heat is transferred from the upper flange of the
section to the concrete deck, which delays the temperature increase in the
steel section.
 Beams (class 1 or 2)
 Beams (class 1 or 2)
 Beams (class 1 or 2)

The fact that the average temperature of the web is mentioned here does not imply
that the hypothesis of a uniform temperature is not admitted. Either a non-uniform
distribution is considered, in which case the average temperature in the web is
naturally considered for the shear resistance, or a uniform distribution is
considered, in which case the average temperature in the web is equal to the
uniform temperature in the section.
 Beams (class 3)
 Beams (class 3)

But where is the maximum temperature?

Possible solution
 Beams (class 3)
 Bending and compression (class 1, 2 or 3)
 Bending and compression (class 1, 2 or 3)
 Bending and compression (class 1, 2 or 3)
 Members with Class 4 cross-section

crit = 350C

or

Simple calculation model according to Annex E

Method of the critical temperature
The degree of utilization

Design effect of action in the fire situation

E fi .d
0 =
Corresponding design resistance of the steel
member, for the fire design situation, at time t = 0.
R fi .d .0
 Critical temperatures in steel elements

Critical temperature(C)
800
Classes 1, 2 and 3 are 1
cr = 39,19 ln 1 + 482
treated in the same 700 0 ,9674 0
3 ,833

way. 600
Class 1, 2 or 3 sections
500

400

Special case for Class 4 300 Class 4 sections

sections (350C). 200

100

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

Degr of utilization 0
Critical temperature of steel members (according to Eq. 4.22)
Variation of properties of carbon steel with temperature
N
Ncap = f A (normal
cap = fyy A (normal temperature)
temperature)

a
ky, =
fy, / fy
N
N11 == 0.23
0.23 N
Ncap = (0.23 f )A
cap = (0.23 fyy )A
critical
critical temp. 700ooC
temp. == 700 C
20 C 1,000
100 C 1,000
200 C 1,000
300 C 1,000
400 C 1,000
500 C 0,780
600 C 0,470
N
N22 >> N
N11 700 C 0,230
N
N22 == 0.47
0.47 N
Ncap = (0.47 f )A 800 C 0,110
cap = (0.47 fyy )A
critical
critical temp. 600ooC
temp. == 600 C 900 C 0,060
1000 C 0,040
1100 C 0,020
1200 C 0,000
 N11 < N22

crit,1 > crit,2

crit,1 crit,2
The critical temperature
depends on the load
level!

For a higher load level, the

critical temperature is
lower!

Conclusion: When chosing the fire protection, if the critical temperature

is unknown (not provided by design) it is conservative to consider
the fire protection correponding to the lowest value of the critical
temperature, given in the tables provided by the producer.
Connections

No verification if:

1. OK at normal temperature (of course !),

2. Fire protection connection Fire protection connected elements
3. Degree of utilisation connection connected elements.

Otherwise Annex D should be considered.

EN 1993-1-2 Annexe D

49
Advanced calculation models

SAFIR

Exemple of rack supporting

structure fire analysis
 Standard ISO fire
Rf = 1 52

Natural fire
(Two Zone One Zone)
Rf = 5 55 (first rack)
Rf = 2035 (entire structure)
1000

800

Temperature [C]
600

400

200

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Tim e [m in]
 Thank you
for your attention

Raul ZAHARIA
raul.zaharia@upt.ro