Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Advanced Modeling of Composite Slabs with Thin-Walled Steel Sheeting Submitted to Fire

  • Published:
Fire Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The paper studies the behavior of composite slabs with corrugated steel sheeting at elevated temperatures. Two structural systems are considered: a simply supported composite slab and a continuous composite slab that consists of two equal spans. Both of them are designed according to the respective Eurocodes to have similar strengths at room temperature. In the sequel, sophisticated three-dimensional models of the slabs are developed. Coupled thermo-mechanical analysis is used, which takes into account the various nonlinearities that are present in the physical model (dependence of the thermal and mechanical properties of the material on temperature, nonlinear material behavior, cracking etc.). The results of the thermal analysis are compared with the temperature field that is proposed in Eurocode 4. For both the structural systems, the fire resistance, in time domain, that yields from the coupled analysis is compared with the fire resistance that results following the provisions of Eurocode 4. Another objective is to evaluate the effect of static indeterminacy on the fire resistance of composite slabs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15
Figure 16
Figure 17
Figure 18
Figure 19
Figure 20

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Thomson GC, Moxon K, Preston RR (1987) Contract report to steel construction institute. Indicative fire test on composite concrete/steel deck floor system

  2. The Steel Construction Institute (2008) Report to corus CSD. slimflor compendium. Document RT1147 Version 01

  3. Bailey CG, White DS, Moore DB (2000) The tensile membrane action of unrestrained composite slabs simulated under fire conditions. Eng Struct 22:1583–1595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hamerlinck AF, Twilt L, Brekelmans JWPM, Van de Haar PW (1990) The mechanical behaviour of fire-exposed composite steel/concrete slabs under negative bending. Test report, Research report BI-90-118, Eindhoven University of Technology/TNO-Building and Construction Research

  5. Gille M, Usmani A, Rotter M, O’ Connor M (2001) Modeling of heated composite floor slabs with reference to the Cardington experiments. Fire Saf J 36:745–767

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Huang Z, Burgess I, Plank R (2000) Effective stiffness modeling of composite concrete slabs in fire. Eng Struct 22:1133–1144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Vulcan (2008) Vulcan Solutions Ltd, http://www.vulcan-solutions.com/index.html

  8. Yu X, Huang Z, Burgess I, Plank R (2008) Nonlinear analysis of orthotropic slabs in fire. Eng Struct 30:67–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gillie M, Usmani AS, Rotter JM (2001) A structural analysis of the first Cardington test. J Constr Steel Res 57:581–601

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Lamont S, Usmani AS, Drysdale DD (2001) Heat transfer analysis of the composite slab in the Cardington frame fire tests. Fire Saf J 36:815–839

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Cashell KA, Elghazouli AY, Izzuddin BA (2011) Failure assessment of lightly reinforced floor slabs. II: analytical studies. J Struct Eng-ASCE 137:989–1001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. European Committee for Standardization (2002) Eurocode 1. EN 1991-1-2.General actions-actions on structures exposed to fire—Part 1–2. General actions-actions on structures exposed to fire

  13. European Committee for Standardization (2003) Eurocode4. EN 1994-1-2. Design of composite steel and concrete structures. Part 1–2. General rules—structural fire design

  14. Hamerlinck AF (1991) The behaviour of fire exposed composite steel/concrete slabs. PhD thesis, Eindhoven University of Technology

  15. Wang YC (2002) Steel and composite structures: behavior and design for fire safety, 1st edn. Spon Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  16. European Committee for Standardization (2002) Eurocode 0. EN 1990. Basis of structural design

  17. Franssen JM, Vila Real P (2010) Fire design of steel structures, 1st edn. Ernst & Sohn, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  18. European Committee for Standardization (2002) Eurocode 2. EN 1992-1-2. Design of concrete structures—Part 1–2. General rules—structural fire design

  19. European Committee for Standardization (2003) Eurocode 3. EN 1993-1-2. Design of steel structures—Part 1–2. General rules—structural fire design

  20. MSC Software Corporation (2010) MSC Marc, vol A: theory and user information, Version.

  21. Newman GM, Robinson JT, Bailey CG (2000) Fire safe design: a new approach to multi-story steel-framed buildings. The Steel Construction Institute, Berkshire (UK)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Both C (1998) The fire resistance of composite steel-concrete slabs. PhD thesis, Eindhoven University of Technology

  23. Lim L, Buchanan A, Moss P, Franssen JM (2004) Numerical modeling of two way concrete slabs in fire. Eng Struct 26:1081–1091

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Wickström U, Sterner E (1990) TASEF, temperature analysis of structures exposed to fire-user’s manual. Swedish National Testing Institute, SP report 05

  25. Purkiss JA (2007) Fire safety engineering—design of structures, 2nd edn. Butterworth—Heinemann, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  26. DIN 4102—Part 2 (1977) Fire behavior of building materials and building components. Building components definitions, requirements and test

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research has been co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund–ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program “Education and Lifelong Learning” of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF)—Research Funding Program: Heracleitus II. Investing in knowledge society through the European Social Fund.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Structural Analysis and Design, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Thessaly, Pedion Areos, 38334, Volos, Greece

    Daphne Pantousa & Euripidis Mistakidis

Authors
  1. Daphne Pantousa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Euripidis Mistakidis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Euripidis Mistakidis.

Appendix: Validation of the Numerical Model

Appendix: Validation of the Numerical Model

The validation of the numerical model proposed in this study is based on the experimental results that are reported by Hamerlinck in [14]. During this experimental program, fire tests were conducted in order to investigate the behavior of composite slabs during exposure to standard fire. The verification of the current advanced model is based on test No.2, as it is referred in [14], which is a fire test on a simply supported, one-way composite slab (similar to the one studied in this paper).

The total span of the test specimen is equal to 3.2 m, as it is illustrated in Figure 21. The test is performed on a slab with Prins 73 steel sheeting with thickness equal to 1 mm. The self-weight of the slabs is \( G = 2.7 \) kN/m2, while the imposed load is equal to \( Q = 3 \) kN/m2. The loading was applied by four point loads (see Figure 21). The positive reinforcement is equal to Ø10/208 while the negative one is Ø6/150 and they are defined as hot-rolled and cold worked respectively. The concrete depth which is equal to 173 mm. During the fire test, thermocouples were used for the measurement of the temperature of the steel sheeting, of the reinforcement and of various points in concrete. The accurate dimensions of the cross-section and the arrangement of the reinforcing bars are illustrated in Figure 22 while the position of the thermocouples is presented in Figure 23. The mechanical properties of steel and concrete were measured at room temperature during the experimental program and they are presented in Table 5.

Figure 21
figure 21

The test specimen and the arrangement of the loading (test No. 2 of [14])

Full size image
Figure 22
figure 22

The cross section of the slab (all the dimensions in mm)

Full size image
Figure 23
figure 23

The positions of the thermocouples

Full size image
Table 5 Measured Mechanical Properties of Steel and Concrete at Room Temperature (Test No. 2 of [14])
Full size table

The finite element model that is developed in order to compare the numerical with the experimental results follows all the principles that were described in Sect. 5.2. All the mechanical and thermal material properties are assumed to be temperature dependent according to [18, 19] for concrete and steel respectively. The material characteristics measured during the experimental program are taken into account. Moreover, the appropriate distinction is made for hot-rolled and cold-worked steel.

The thermal boundary conditions are considered in the same way as they were presented in Sect. 5.2. For the emissivities, the values used in [14] were adopted. Finally, it is noted that the analysis takes into account all the considerations that were described in Sect. 5.3.

The comparison of the numerical and the experimental results, considering the thermal response, is illustrated in Figure 24. In general, a good agreement between the measured and calculated values is observed.

Figure 24
figure 24

Measured and calculated temperatures in the slab

Full size image

Considering the evaluation of the mechanical response of the slab, it is noted a very good agreement between the measured and the calculated deflections until the 97th minute of the fire exposure (Figure 25). After this minute the numerical analysis stops due to numerical problems attributed to the significant cracking of concrete.

Figure 25
figure 25

Development of mid-span deflection with time. Comparison between numerical and test results

Full size image

In general, it can be concluded that the numerical model represents accurately both the thermal and the mechanical response of the studied composite slab under fire conditions.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pantousa, D., Mistakidis, E. Advanced Modeling of Composite Slabs with Thin-Walled Steel Sheeting Submitted to Fire. Fire Technol 49, 293–327 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-012-0265-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-012-0265-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation