Structural fire design

How are members designed in case of fire?

With a fire design, it is checked in the sense of fire safety how long a member can withstand a certain fire load. As a rule, the ISO standard fire is used as the thermal load. The time to failure is referred to as the fire resistance period. This design is based on the so-called "hot" Eurocodes, i.e. the parts EN1991-1-2 (thermal actions), EN1992-1-2 (design of concrete structures exposed to fire), EN1993-1-2 (design of steel structures exposed to fire), EN1994-1-2 (design of composite steel structures exposed to fire) and EN1995-1-2 (design of timber structures exposed to fire).

For this purpose, the cross-section is discretized with a special finite element program. The heating of the cross-section as a result of temperature stress is then simulated. The ISO standard fire is usually used as the fire curve. Finally, the load-bearing behavior of the members is simulated over a specific fire duration. The animated figure above shows the load-bearing behavior of a loaded hollow section column under 30-minute fire exposure as a result of the ISO standard fire. As can be seen, the column initially expands due to the thermal stress. Due to the lateral load and the reduced modulus of elasticity with increasing heating, the support suddenly fails after about 25 minutes.

When should you contact me?

Feel free to contact me if you want to determine the temperature distribution in a member. I can take any time-temperature curves into account. If necessary, I can determine the load-bearing capacity of the thermally stressed member in addition to the temperature distribution. Any cross-section shapes made of different materials such as steel, reinforced concrete or in composite construction. Other materials can be considered in consultation with you.

My initial consultation for your project

In order to clarify your specific task, it is best to give me a call. Or you can send me an e-mail with a few key data. On this basis, I can discuss the general conditions with you and make you an attractive offer.