CRITICAL TEMPERATURE OF AXIALLY LOADED STEEL MEMBERS WITH WIDE-FLANGE SHAPES EXPOSED TO FIRE

Published

January 1, 2021

Author(s)

Ana Sauca, Rachel Chicchi, Chao Zhang, Lisa Choe

Abstract

This paper presents closed-formed equations developed to evaluate critical temperatures of structural steel compression and tension members exposed to fire. The deterministic approach involved a parametric study using finite-element simulations in order to identify influencing factors, e.g., mechanical properties of steel, member slenderness, and axial load ratios. Statistical models were employed to develop closed-form equations representing the best fit of numerical results. A comparison with experimental column test data indicates that the proposed equation for compression members provides a conservative lower bound (16% lower on average) relative to the test data at load ratios greater than 0.3. A sensitivity study was also performed to further explore uncertainty in the estimation of critical temperatures due to variability of axial load ratios. For both compression and tension members, the variation in the ambient- temperature yield stress of steel (assumed with 95% confidence interval) has a significant impact on axial load ratios, which can influence the accuracy of the critical temperature predicted using the proposed equations. The applicability of the proposed equations is limited to wide- flange steel members that are simply supported, concentrically loaded, and exposed to uniform heating.

Citation

Engineering Journal-American Institute of Steel Construction

Volume

58

Issue

1

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

critical temperature, structural steel, compression, tension, fire

Citation

Sauca, A. , Chicchi, R. , Zhang, C. and Choe, L. (2021), CRITICAL TEMPERATURE OF AXIALLY LOADED STEEL MEMBERS WITH WIDE-FLANGE SHAPES EXPOSED TO FIRE, Engineering Journal-American Institute of Steel Construction, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=929495 (Accessed October 6, 2024)