- Author
- Gilvary, K. R. | Dexter, R. J.
- Title
- Evaluation of Alternative Methods for Fire Rating Structural Elements.
- Coporate
- Lehigh Univ., Bethelhem, PA
- Sponsor
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NIST GCR 97-718; ATLSS Report No. 97-05, June 1997, 102 p.
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900. Website: http://www.ntis.gov
- Contract
- NIST-GRANT-70NANB6H0034
- Keywords
- structural members | structural systems | fire ratings | fire resistance rating | furnaces | load capacity | steel columns
- Abstract
- A range of computational methods were evaluated for predicting the load capacity of structures subjected to fire. Results were compared to furnace experiments on loaded steel columns and concrete filled tubes. Simple calculations are accurate for simple cases such as steel columns at uniform temperature. Special-purpose finite-element software, SAFIR, was also accurate for members with nonuniform temperature distributions and/or composite cross-sections. SAFIR simulations of a continuous frame showed that it withstood three times the fire-exposure duration predicted from column furnace testing. Computational methods could serve as an alternative to the furnace test method for determining fire resistance ratings.