Effect of local instability on fire response of steel beams

Abstract

Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to quantify the effect of local instability arising from high shear loading on response of steel girders subjected to fire conditions. Design/methodology/approach – A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model able to evaluate behavior of fire-exposed steel girders is developed. This model, is capable of predicting fire response of steel girders taking into consideration flexural, shear and deflection limit states. Findings – Results obtained from numerical studies show that shear capacity can degrade at a higher pace than flexural capacity under certain loading scenarios, and hence, failure can result from shear effects prior to attaining failure in flexural mode. Originality/value – The developed model is unique and provides valuable insight (and information) to the fire response of typical hot-rolled steel girder subjected to high shear loading.

Keywords

• Civil engineering
• Structural engineering
• Structural fire engineering and diagnostics