Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Fire Resistance of Novel Timber-Concrete-Composite Decks
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 28, Issue 6
Abstract
Timber-concrete-composite (TCC) systems, commonly with timber at the bottom and concrete at the top, are efficient solutions for floors because of their advantages compared to pure timber or pure concrete slabs, one of the advantages being better fire resistance. This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations on the fire resistance of a novel TCC setup with timber beams at the top and a concrete layer at the bottom. This setup has several advantages in facilitating the connection to the surrounding structure and mechanical installations. The results from fire tests on a subsection of the system are reported. The concrete side of one test specimen was subjected to a fire according to the standard temperature-time curve and proofed to achieve a 60-min fire rating. Subsequently the temperature behavior was numerically modeled by performing a transient thermal analysis with temperature dependent material properties. The temperature profiles for the TCC system was accurately modeled allowing for the validated model to be used for future optimizations and predicting the fire resistance ratings of optimized systems.
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Acknowledgments
The research reported in this paper was funded by the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) and carried out in collaboration with Renggli AG, Pirmin Jung Ingenieure für Holzbau AG, Makiol+Wiederkehr Holzbau-Ingenieure, Jomos Gruppe, and Rekag AG. The help of the technicians at the Tech Park of the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Biel and of the fire lab at ETH Zurich is kindly acknowledged. The support by Meng students Robbe Drugmand and Ilana Danzig at the University of British Columbia is also appreciated.
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 28 • Issue 6 • December 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 30, 2013
Accepted: Nov 11, 2013
Published online: Nov 13, 2013
Published in print: Dec 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Dec 18, 2014
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