Closed-Form Procedure for Predicting the Capacity and Demand of Steel Beam-Columns under Fire
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 9
Abstract
During a fire, columns on the perimeter of a building will be subject to moments induced by both a thermal gradient and the restraint of axial expansion by adjacent heated beams, which themselves develop axial load. These members thus act as beam-columns because they are then subject to a combination of axial load plus moment caused by a combination of gravity plus thermal loading. This paper presents a two-pronged procedure to predict the behavior of the perimeter column as a beam-column, considering both the individual member response (including thermal gradients) and the global response (including the interactions of adjacent members). All methods discussed in the paper are closed-form (i.e., they require no iteration) and can therefore be solved by using a spreadsheet or simple mathematical algorithm. The framework is sufficiently simple for use in codified structural-fire design and could be included in a reference of performance-based analysis methods for steel structures. Although this paper specifically addresses the performance of columns on the perimeter of buildings, the proposed framework can be a blueprint for the performance-based analysis of other beam-columns, such as floor beams.
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Acknowledgments
The research presented in this paper is based on work that is cosponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (under Grant No. NSFCMMI-0652282) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (under Grant No. NIST60NANB7D6121). Dr. Quiel’s involvement with this research project began while on appointment as a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Fellow under the DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program, which is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for DHS through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities under DOE Contract No. DOEDE-AC05-00OR22750. Dr. Paya-Zaforteza has been involved with this research project while on appointment as a Postdoctoral Fellow under the Program for Postdoctoral Stays administered by the Spanish Ministry of Education (contract number UNSPECIFIEDEX-2008-0669). All opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this paper are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of the NSF, NIST, DHS, DOE, ORISE or the Spanish Ministry of Education.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 9 • September 2011
Pages: 967 - 976
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 14, 2010
Accepted: May 23, 2011
Published online: May 25, 2011
Published in print: Sep 1, 2011
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