Fire Design Equation for Steel–Polymer Composite Floors in Thermal Fields Via Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

Owing to the development of new materials that enhance structural members in the construction field, steel–polymer composite floors have been developed and applied to steel structures. Similar to a sandwich system, steel–polymer composite floors consist of polymers between two steel plates. The structural performance of full-scale composite floors at ambient conditions has been investigated. Additionally, experiments were conducted on analytical models to predict both thermal behavior under fire, including fire resistance based on a small-scale furnace. To evaluate the fire resistance of full-scale steel–polymer composite floors, the thermal behavior and temperature distribution of composite floors should be investigated. Therefore, the temperature distributions of the full-scale composite floors were estimated using the verified analytical model in this study. Furthermore, to determine the fire design equation of steel–polymer composite floors in the thermal field, the correlations between variables were investigated, such as the thickness of top and bottom steel plates and polymers, as well as the fire resistance in the thermal field.

Fire Resistance Performance of Steel–Polymer Prefabricated Composite Floors Using Standard Fire Tests

“…Recently, steel–polymer composite floors, which have a steel–polymer–steel sandwich-type section ( Figure 1 ), have been developed for application in steel structures as prefabricated floor members to reduce the construction period and improve construction efficiency [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. The thickness of steel–polymer prefabricated composite floors typically ranges from 25 mm to 80 mm.…”

“…Considering the shear deformation of polymers between steel plates, a new approach was proposed for estimating floor vibration performance with improved accuracy [ 18 ]. Experimental and numerical studies were conducted to investigate the fire behavior of steel–polymer prefabricated composite floors [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. First, small-scale furnace tests were conducted to investigate the composite floor fire resistance, using an energy-based time equivalent approach [ 19 ].…”

“…An analytical model of composite floors in the thermal field, considering the interfacial issues between steel and polymers, was proposed to predict the temperature distribution at elevated temperatures [ 20 ]. Using the proposed analytical model, verified by test results, a fire design equation in the thermal fields of composite floors was suggested [ 21 ]. Moreover, the insulation design procedure and worked examples under fire conditions for composite floor circular steel spacers were assessed using finite element analysis based on standard fire tests (known as full-scale furnace tests) [ 22 ].…”

“…Therefore, in this study, the fire resistance performance of steel–polymer prefabricated composite floors using standard fire tests [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ] with temperature distribution [ 21 ] and reliable finite element models [ 23 , 24 ] was investigated to provide structural engineers with a fire design guide for composite floors. The thickness of the top and bottom steel plates and polymers were used to investigate the effects of these thicknesses on fire resistance performance.…”

Floor Vibration Experiment and Serviceability Test of iFLASH System

“…Therefore, an iFLASH system has an extremely lower thickness than existing slabs, such as steel deck concrete slabs. In addition, several studies have investigated the fire resistance characteristics of the iFLASH system by adding some additives to the nano-composite [ 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”