A contemporary review of large-scale non-standard structural fire testing

Abstract

In recent years, large-scale structural fire testing has experienced something of a renaissance. After about a century with the standard fire resistance test being the predominant means to characterize the response of structural elements in fires, both research and regulatory communities are confronting the many inherent problems associated with using simplified single element tests, on isolated structural members subjected to unrealistic temperature-time curves, to demonstrate adequate structural performance in fires. As a consequence, a shift in testing philosophy to large-scale non-standard fire testing, using real rather than standard fires, is growing in momentum. A number of custom made, non-standard testing facilities have recently been constructed or are nearing completion. Non-standard fire tests performed around the world during the past three decades have identified numerous shortcomings in our understanding of real building behavior during real fires; in most cases these shortcomings could not have been observed through standard furnace tests. Supported by a grant from the Fire Protection Research Foundation, this paper presents a review of relevant non-standard structural fire engineering research done at the large-scale around the world during the past few decades. It identifies gaps and research needs based both on the conclusions of previous researchers and also on the authors' own assessment of the information presented. A review of similar research needs assessments carried out or presented during the past ten years is included. The overarching objective is to highlight gaps in knowledge and to help steer future research in structural fire engineering, particularly experimental research at the large-scale.

Simulation Methodology for Coupled Fire-Structure Analysis: Modeling Localized Fire Tests on a Steel Column

“…The fire resistance rating of a building component is determined by a standard fire resistance test conducted on an isolated member subjected to a specified time temperature curve. The standard fire resistance test, which was developed more than a century ago, has a number of shortcomings [1]. For example, the heating used in the test bears little resemblance to a real fire environment and the behavior of isolated members cannot represent the behavior of the components in an entire structure [2].…”

Revisiting the Compartment Fire

“…Bisby et al [1] provide a comprehensive review of the associated literature. The main achievement of the earlier stages of research was the definition of the standard temperature vs time curve as a general description of the fire environment [2].…”

Effects of polypropylene fibre type on occurrence of heat-induced concrete spalling

“…Moreover, the mechanical boundary conditions of test elements in standard fire resistance tests rarely simulate those encountered by a real structural element in a real fire. There is compelling evidence that the complexities of real fires are not captured by furnace tests [9]. Material properties (thermal and thermo-mechanical) as well as full structural behaviour in fire have historically been defined almost entirely based on standard fire resistance testing of isolated structural elements in furnaces.…”

“…Material properties (thermal and thermo-mechanical) as well as full structural behaviour in fire have historically been defined almost entirely based on standard fire resistance testing of isolated structural elements in furnaces. Even modern research [9][10][11][12] continues to use furnace testing as a means to understand structural response to fire, despite the relatively poor repeatability and quantification available from furnace testing. The high costs of large scale furnace testing are a limiting factor for progress in structural fire engineering; high costs restrict research programs to a very limited number of standard furnace tests, and hence very little statistical analysis of results is possible.…”