Critical Review of Test Methods for Mechanical Characterization of Steel for Structural-Fire Engineering Applications
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 11
Abstract
Knowledge of elevated-temperature mechanical properties of structural steel is essential for accurate evaluation of structural behavior in a fire. As a result, various test procedures have been adopted to obtain the stress–strain behavior and to establish elevated-temperature mechanical properties of structural steel suitable for structural-fire applications. This paper provides a critical review of steady-state and transient-state temperature material tests, the two common methods of characterizing the mechanical behavior of structural steel subjected to fire. The main focus in this review is the thermal creep of steel and how it is modeled in each material test. It is indicated that these two test methods result in rate-dependent stress–strain curves, in which creep effects are implicit in the behavior of steel at elevated temperatures. Alternatively, steady-state temperature creep tests allow for the explicit consideration of thermal creep in the form of isochronous stress–strain curves. It is shown that creep can result in significant time- and temperature-dependent reductions in the strength of structural steel in fire and that the adopted method of characterizing the stress–strain behavior of steel for structural-fire engineering applications can lead to underestimation of creep effects depending on the applied stress, temperature, and steel grade.
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Acknowledgments
The research reported herein was made possible through previous funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research projects on Elevated Temperature Performance of Beam End Framing Connections, Creep Buckling of Steel Columns Subjected to Fire, and Elevated Temperature Performance of Shear Connectors for Composite Beams (NSF Awards 0700682, 0927819, and 1031099, respectively). The support of the National Science Foundation and of the former NSF Program Directors M. P. Singh and Douglas Foutch is gratefully acknowledged. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 11 • November 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 22, 2019
Accepted: May 4, 2020
Published online: Aug 18, 2020
Published in print: Nov 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Jan 18, 2021
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