ANALYSIS of REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAMES EXPOSED to FIRE Based on Advanced Calculation Methods
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ANALYSIS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAMES EXPOSED TO FIRE Based on Advanced Calculation Methods HÉLDER FRANCISCO BRÁS XAVIER Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER IN CIVIL ENGINEERING — STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING BRANCH Scientific Supervisor: Associate Professor Doctor Rui Manuel Carvalho Marques de Faria JULY , 2009 MASTERS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING 2008/2009 DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Tel. +351-22-508 1901 Fax +351-22-508 1446 [email protected] Edited by FACULTY OF ENGINEERING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTO Rua Dr. Roberto Frias 4200-465 PORTO Portugal Tel. +351-22-508 1400 Fax +351-22-508 1440 [email protected] http://www.fe.up.pt Partial reproductions of this document are allowed on the condition that the Author is mentioned and that reference is made to Masters in Civil Engineering – 2008/2009 – Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, 2009. The opinions and information included in this document represent solely the point of view of the respective Author, while the Editor cannot accept any legal responsibility or other with respect to errors or omissions that may exist. This document was produced from an electronic version supplied by the respective Author. “… Por mares nunca dantes navegados…” in Os Lusíadas, I-1 Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Frames Exposed to Fire ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I am compelled to express my deepest gratitude towards my scientific supervisor, Professor Rui Faria from the University of Porto, for the invaluable guidance, encouragement and dedication displayed during the course of this work. I am also extremely grateful to Professor Paulo Vila Real and Professor Nuno Lopes from the University of Aveiro, for kindly providing the access to the software SAFIR as well as for guiding me during the first steps in its application. A gratitude remark has to be made, regarding my fellow structural engineer João Barbosa, Ph.D. student at the University of Porto, for his relevant role played during the initial stages of this work, especially concerning computer programming aspects. To structural engineer Márcio Fernandes, MEng, author of the spreadsheet for the application of simplified calculation methods, I have to express my gratitude for the help he has provided, enabling his spreadsheet to deal with the files obtained from SAFIR, thus easing the task of comparing advanced and simplified calculation methods results. At last, I shall not forget to direct a kind word to my senior grade colleagues at the Masters in Civil Engineering, for the constant support and friendship demonstrated along this last semester, always improving my work through their reviews and recommendations. Among all, the following names ought to be underlined: structural engineer Albano de Castro e Sousa, structural engineer Bruno Vieira and building engineer Bruno Duarte. i Analysis of Reinfoeced Concrete Frames Exposed to Fire ii Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Frames Exposed to Fire ABSTRACT The structural stability of reinforced concrete buildings exposed to fire is gaining a significant role in the design process, as users and authorities are increasingly demanding for fire safety solutions. The application of advanced calculation methods constitutes the most accurate numerical procedure to trace the global behaviour of a reinforced concrete structure during the course of the fire, until collapse is achieved. In this work, a reinforced concrete frame subjected to different fire scenarios is investigated applying a Finite Element Code capable of simulating both materials strength deterioration due to temperature and fire induced effects. It is known that the application of advanced calculation methods demands a great deal of expertise, usually not part of structural engineers training. For this reason, fire safety assessment is often performed by means of simplified cross-sectional calculation methods based in single element verifications, where in accordance to the current version of Eurocode 2, it is possible to neglect fire induced effects. In this work, a comparison between the results obtained with advanced calculation methods and the application of simplified methods, indicates that applying the last methods ignoring the increase of internal forces may lead to non-conservative results. A simplified procedure for shear failure assessment of reinforced concrete elements at elevated temperatures is proposed. Applying this procedure it is pointed out that shear may become a critical factor in the frame’s columns fire resistance, due to the imposed beams thermal elongation. The inclusion of short-columns in reinforced concrete frames originates high risk situations related to shear and bending failure during fire exposure. KEYWORDS : Reinforced concrete, structural fire engineering, advanced calculation method, global behaviour, thermal elongation effects, shear failure at elevated temperatures. iii Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Frames Exposed to Fire iv Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Frames Exposed to Fire RESUMO A estabilidade de edifícios de betão armado em situação de incêndio tem ganho um papel de relevo no projecto estrutural, pois os seus ocupantes e as autoridades têm exigido cada vez mais soluções que garantam uma adequada resistência ao fogo. A aplicação de métodos de cálculo avançados constitui a ferramenta numérica mais rigorosa para avaliar o comportamento global de estruturas de betão armado ao longo da duração de um incêndio, até que o colapso ocorra. Neste trabalho, um pórtico de betão armado exposto a diferente casos de incêndio será investigado através da aplicação de um programa baseado no Método dos Elementos Finitos, capaz de simular a degradação das propriedades dos materiais em função da temperatura, bem como de incluir os esforços induzidos pelo incêndio. Como é reconhecido, a aplicação de métodos de cálculo avançados exige por parte dos engenheiros de estruturas um conjunto de conhecimentos específicos que geralmente não faz parte da sua formação. Devido a isto, a verificação da resistência ao fogo é em regra avaliada através de métodos de cálculo simplificados, baseada na análise de elementos estruturais isolados para os quais a actual versão do Eurocódigo 2 permite que se desprezem os esforços induzidos pelo fogo. Neste trabalho foi feita uma comparação entre a resistência ao fogo avaliada considerando o comportamento global da estrutura e a resistência dada pelos métodos simplificados, demonstrando-se que aplicando os últimos métodos e desprezando os esforços induzidos pelo fogo se é por vezes conduzido a verificações não conservativas. Um método simplificado para verificação da resistência ao corte de elementos de betão armado a elevadas temperaturas é proposto neste trabalho. Aplicando este método constata-se que a resistência ao corte pode ser condicionante na resistência ao fogo dos pilares do pórtico, devido aos esforços induzidos pela dilatação térmica das vigas. Neste trabalho também se constatou que a existência de pilares-curtos na tipologia da estrutura origina situações de alto risco, relacionadas com roturas por corte e também por flexão destes elementos em situação de incêndio. PALAVRAS -CHAVE : Betão armado, cálculo estrutural em situação de incêndio, método de cálculo avançado ao fogo, comportamento global, efeitos da dilatação térmica, rotura por corte a altas temperaturas. v Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Frames Exposed to Fire vi Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Frames Exposed to Fire CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................i ABSTRACT ..............................................................................................................................iii RESUMO ...................................................................................................................................................v 1. Introduction .........................................................................................................................1 1.1. BACKGROUND TO THE THESIS ........................................................................................................1 1.1.1. FOREWORD NOTE .............................................................................................................................1 1.1.2. STRUCTURAL FIRE ENGINEERING .......................................................................................................2 1.1.2.1. General overview ........................................................................................................................2 1.1.2.2. Methods of assessment of fire resistance...................................................................................3 1.1.2.3. Mechanical actions in fire situation .............................................................................................6 1.1.2.4. Thermal actions for temperature analysis ...................................................................................7 1.1.3. EFFECTS OF FIRE IN REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES ................................................................8 1.1.3.1. Deterioration of the mechanical properties of concrete and steel...............................................8 1.1.3.2. Spalling........................................................................................................................................9 1.1.3.3. Failure of reinforced concrete structures in fire.........................................................................11