Review of Research on the Fire Behavior of Simple Shear Connections

Published

April 8, 2021

Author(s)

Erica Fischer, Rachel Chicchi, Lisa Choe

Abstract

Previous building fires and research has shown that simple (shear) connections develop large axial force and flexural demands during a fire leading to potential failure of the connections and progressive collapse of a building. These findings have motivated decades of international research on the fire behaviour of simple (shear) connections. While this research all confirmed that simple connections experience large axial force and flexural demands, it occurred without consistency of testing methodology, testing setup, and reporting of results. Due to this inconsistency, the decades of research have yet to be synthesized into comprehensive code changes for the design of simple connections in fires. This paper will summarize international experimental and numerical research on simple (shear) connections and highlight the inconsistencies between this research in an effort to motivate consistent testing and data reporting for future research developments.

Citation

Fire Technology

Volume

57

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-021-01105-1

Local Download

Keywords

fire, steel structures, connections, structural fire resistance

Citation

Fischer, E. , Chicchi, R. and Choe, L. (2021), Review of Research on the Fire Behavior of Simple Shear Connections, Fire Technology, [online], https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-021-01105-1, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=931485 (Accessed October 10, 2025)