Predicting the fire resistance behaviour of high strength concrete columns

A numerical model, in the form of a computer program, for tracing the behaviour of high performance concrete (HPC) columns exposed to fire is presented. The three stages, associated with the thermal and structural analysis, for the calculation of fire resistance of columns are explained. A simplified approach is proposed to account for spalling under fire conditions. The use of the computer program for tracing the response of an HPC column from the initial pre-loading stage to collapse, due to fire, is demonstrated. The validity of the numerical model used in the program is established by comparing the predictions from the computer program with results from full-scale fire resistance tests. Details of fire resistance experiments carried out on HPC columns, together with results, are presented. The computer program can be used to predict the fire resistance of HPC columns for any value of the significant parameters, such as load, section dimensions, fiber reinforcement, column length, concrete strength, aggregate type, and fiber reinforcement. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.