The partial fire protection of steel members: a comparative study

Abstract

Purpose

This paper provides a summary of the issues in the passive fire protection of steel structures. Types of passive fire protection and the material properties of protection members and steel members are described. The paper deals with the possibility of partial fire protection for secondary steel beams, in cases where, due to possible membrane action, it is not necessary to apply passive protection to the entire beams.

Design/methodology/approach

Studies of partially fire-protected steel structures are compared, and results from studies with different input data are summarized. A fire experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of partial passive protection in a small-scale furnace. Based on the findings of the experiment, numerical models were prepared using Ansys Mechanical.

Findings

The results are summarized, and a partial fire protection length of 500 mm is recommended. Various partial fire protection lengths were compared, and the temperature development of the steel contactors was compared using a protection length of 500 mm. At the end of the paper, options for partial passive protection of steel beams are presented.

Originality/value

Extended paper from ASFE2021 based on selection.

Citation

Šejna, J., Dobrovolný, P. and Wald, F. (2023), "The partial fire protection of steel members: a comparative study", Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 575-597. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSFE-01-2023-0001