Influence of Concrete Cover on Fire Resistance of Reinforced Concrete Flexural Members
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 130, Issue 8
Abstract
Six specimens with different concrete cover (CC) thickness (10–30 mm) were tested to investigate the influence of the CC on the properties of reinforced concrete flexural members exposed to fire. The specimens were heated on their bottom and two lateral surfaces. From these test results, it is shown that the bottom CC has significant influence on the specimen ultimate loading capacity, but the extent of this influence will decrease with an increase in the CC thickness. Thus, it is improper to excessively increase the bottom CC thickness to improve the specimen fire resistance. The lateral CC has a less beneficial effect on the specimen fire resistance compared to the bottom CC. A concept of the equivalent CC thickness is proposed in this paper to better predict the effect of the CC on the flexural capacity of reinforced concrete members exposed to fire.
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References
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Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 130 • Issue 8 • August 2004
Pages: 1225 - 1232
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 25, 2002
Accepted: Jul 30, 2003
Published online: Jul 15, 2004
Published in print: Aug 2004
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