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The fire response of structural reinforced concrete columns is usually justified by the reduction in ultimate load bearing capacity. This is due to the decrease in mechanical strength of steel and concrete upon exposure to a fire. In structural design, it is more desirable to consider the action of load directly. The concept of equivalent accidental load due to a fire might give more convenient structural design data. This paper aims to focus on these issues.

A theoretical analysis for the equivalent accidental load imposed on reinforced concrete columns (axially loaded columns, uniaxially loaded columns and biaxially loaded columns) exposed to four‐side fires is carried out. The test results of previous research are used as examples and for checking computations. After determining its temperature field, the equivalent accidental load due to fire is calculated using simplified methods. The fire resistance period of reinforced concrete columns can also be determined.

If the response of a structural element to a fire can be converted into an accidental load, it can be combined with other components such as wind load and earthquake action to give a total design load. With this method, the equivalent accidental load due to a fire and fire resistance of reinforced concrete columns at elevated temperature can be derived directly, and the process is very simple. The equivalent accidental load and fire resistance of reinforced concrete columns exposed to fire on one, two or three sides can also be derived by the same method. However, the thermal performance of steel and concrete cannot be considered during the calculation.

A simplified approach of equivalent accidental load due to fire is proposed. Much simpler guides can be drafted in structural fire design.

Modular construction is widely used for residential buildings of 4 to 8 storeys. In the context of open building systems, modular construction provides a systemised approach to design in which the benefits of prefabrication are maximised. There is demand to extend this form of construction to more than 12 storeys for residential buildings. This paper presents a review of modular technologies, and describes load tests and analysis on light steel modular walls that are used to justify the use of light steel technology to support higher loads.

For taller modular buildings, the effect of installation and geometric inaccuracies must be taken into account and it is proposed that maximum out of verticality of a vertical group of modules is 50mm relative to ground datum. Using these geometric tolerances, the notional horizontal force used to evaluate stability of a group of modules should be taken as a minimum of 1% of the applied vertical load on the modules. Robustness to accidental load effects is important in all high-rise buildings and it is proposed that the tie force in the connections between modules should be taken as not less than 30% of the total vertical load applied to the module in both horizontal directions.

The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of concrete strength on the fire resistance of structures. At first, it may seem contradictory that higher concrete strengths can decrease the fire resistance of building structures. However, if the strength of the concrete exceeds a maximum value, the risk of spalling (the detachment of the concrete surface) significantly.

Prefabricated structural elements are often produced with higher strength. The higher concrete strengths generally do not cause a reduction in the load bearing capacity, but it can have serious consequences in case of structural fire design. Results of two prefabricated elements, namely, one slab (TT shaped panel) and one single layer wall panel, were examined. Results of the specimen with the originally designed composition and a specimen with modified concrete composition were examined, were polymer fibres were added to prevent spalling.

As a result of the experiments, more strict regulations in the standards the author is suggested including more strict regulations in the standards. It has been proved that to ensure the fire safety of the reinforced concrete structures, it is required after polymer fibres even in lower concrete strength class than prescribed by the standard. In addition, during the classification and evaluation of structures, it is advisable to introduce an upper limit of allowed concrete strength for fire safety reasons.

As a result of the experiments, the author suggests including more strict regulations in the standards. It has been proved that to ensure the fire safety of the reinforced concrete structures, it is necessary to require the addition of polymer fibres even in lower concrete strength class than prescribed by the standard. In addition, during the classification and evaluation of structures, it is advisable to introduce an upper limit of allowed concrete strength for fire safety reasons.

Accidental loadings such as fire constitute a great majority of potential and actual fatalities in both onshore and offshore installations. In order to prevent human loss and for a safe design of an asset, the risk of fire loading needs to be quantified, in terms of both probability/frequency and consequence aspects. In this paper the authors propose a novel risk-based approach for the assessment against accidental fire loading.

In a conventional passive fire protection (PFP) analysis using ductility level analysis (DLA), fire loads are deterministically applied to a structure whose response is then analyzed. The initial PFP scheme is developed based on the analysis and then optimized. This approach is sometimes misinterpreted as a “risk-based” approach; however, it does not take into account the frequency aspect of the risk assessment. In a risk-based PFP analysis using DLA, fire scenarios are developed in a particular target zone. Then DLA is performed to determine the structural consequence. If personnel safety is of interest, the consequence of the structure is then linked to individual risk (IR) to determine fatalities. The amount of PFP to be applied on the structure is fully based on the risk that is produced by the fire scenarios in target zones.

A new perspective on safe design of onshore/offshore structures for accidental loadings is outlined to estimate the associated risk to potential targets such as personnel as well as asset. The proposed assessment methodology will contribute toward identifying the mitigation measures and safety-critical procedures and equipment and toward a safer design.

This paper presents a new perspective in a safer design of onshore and offshore structures for a fire accidental loading based on risk calculation. Risk is defined as a combination of the frequency and consequence. An event frequency analysis is carried out to determine how often one should expect the event to occur. A consequence analysis is carried out to determine the severity levels of the event. In a risk-based consequence analysis, the severity levels are fully determined based on the risk associated with the event. The proposed novel risk-based assessment methodology against accidental fire loading contributes toward fully understanding the risk from an impact to personnel and to asset perspectives and leads toward safer and optimal design.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an experimental system to apply high rates of loading, in order to characterize the behaviour of bolted steel connections subjected to accidental loads, such as impact. The work presented in this paper is part of an ongoing research project at the University of Coimbra IMPACTFIRE PTDC/ECM/110807/2009.

The experimental set-up was designed to test under tension T-stubs andis capable to apply high strain rates. The test rig comprises a series of beams and steel elements placed horizontally, providing resistance and stiffness for the proposed tests. The loading system is operated by high pressure nitrogen and it comprises three main components: pneumatic reservoir, pneumatic cylinder and a rapidly opening valve, which and allows the instantaneous nitrogen flow from the reservoir to the cylinder. This paper presents a detailed description of the experimental components developed, designed and fabricated at University of Coimbra. Furthermore, the data acquisition system, the methodology for analysis of the results and the results of preliminary tests are also reported.

The results of the tests showed that the developed system is capable to apply an impact force in the specimens, the shape of the force and acceleration, in terms of duration and magnitude provided by the system showed that the system is capable to apply and simulate an impact force in specimens under tension. Moreover, the results reached under high rates of loading are compared with those reached under quasi-static loading; an increase of the plastic and ultimate resistances and a decrease of the deformation capacity are noticed.

The value of this paper is to describe the development of a new experimental system to perform tests at high strain rates. The results of the experimental tests of T-stub under tension are presented herein.

In former work, test results of cracks in aluminium panels under cyclic shear buckling showed that cracks in the tensile stress field of a buckle propagate. The main influencing factor for the crack growth rate is the maximum principle stress. A simplified approach for crack propagation analyses based on this finding showed limitations for application on larger cracks because it disregarded the increasing out-of-plane deformation for larger cracks as well as stress redistributions. The purpose of this paper is to improve the results of the simplified approach with the help of finite element method (FEM).

An approach for crack propagation based on FEM is presented taking into account the mutual interaction of cracks and buckling. The finite element (FE) model, which is described in detail, respects the boundary conditions of the test-set-up. Different initial crack positions, loads and panel thicknesses are analyzed. Results of the stress intensity factors KI calculated by the ABAQUS® FE model provide a function which is used to run a crack propagation analysis based on Forman law.

The results of the FE-based crack propagation solution are in good agreement with test results and improve the prediction of the simplified approach. It is not restricted in terms of panel thickness, crack position or applied shear load.

Limitations of the FE-based crack propagation solution compared to the experimental results are discussed. These are, the sensitivity of crack propagation analyses to initial crack length and deviations of the experimental settings from the ideal FE model.

The interaction of cracks and buckling in aluminium shells is mainly disregarded both in research and industrial work, but can be of interest considering, accidental damages in fuselage side shells. Cracks propagate under shear load as it was shown in former work. The FE modeling of the tests presented in this paper proves the mutual interactions of crack propagation and buckling deformation.

Outlines some basic forms of dynamic loading which cause vibrational problems in structures. Presents information on the possibility of structural damage occurring from vibration. Discusses the human response in terms of its often being the limiting factor in terms of amplitude which can be tolerated within a structure. Details industrial vibrational problems, covering areas of traffic, piling, forced vibration and industrial plant.

The resistance of steel plate shear walls (SPSW) under explosive loads is evaluated using nonlinear FE analysis and surrogate methods. This study uses the conventional weapons effect program (CONWEP) model for the explosive load and the Johnson-Cook model for the steel plate. Based on the Taguchi method, 25 samples out of 100 samples are selected for a parametric study where we predict the damaged zones and the maximum deflection of SPSWs under explosive loads. Then, this study uses a multiple linear regression (MLR), multiple Ln equation regression (MLnER), gene expression programming (GEP), adaptive network-based fuzzy inference (ANFIS) and an ensemble model to predict the maximum detection of SPSWs. Several statistical parameters and error terms are used to evaluate the accuracy of the different surrogate models. The results show that the cross-section in the y-direction and the plate thickness have the most significant effects on the maximum deflection of SPSWs. The results also show that the maximum deflection is related to the scaled distance, i.e. for a value of 0.383. The ensemble model performs better than all other models for predicting the maximum deflection of SPSWs under explosive loads.

The SPSW under explosive loads is evaluated using nonlinear FE analysis and surrogate methods. This study uses the CONWEP model for the explosive load and the Johnson-Cook model for the steel plate. Based on the Taguchi method, 25 samples out of 100 samples are selected for a parametric study where we predict the damaged zones and the maximum deflection of SPSWs under explosive loads. Then, this study uses a MLR, MLnER, GEP, ANFIS and an ensemble model to predict the maximum detection of SPSWs. Several statistical parameters and error terms are used to evaluate the accuracy of the different surrogate models. The results show that the cross-section in the y-direction and the plate thickness have the most significant effects on the maximum deflection of SPSWs. The results also show that the maximum deflection is related to the scaled distance, i.e. for a value of 0.383. The ensemble model performs better than all other models for predicting the maximum deflection of SPSWs under explosive loads.

The resistance of SPSW under explosive loads is evaluated using nonlinear FE analysis and surrogate methods. This study uses the CONWEP model for the explosive load and the Johnson-Cook model for the steel plate. Based on the Taguchi method, 25 samples out of 100 samples are selected for a parametric study where we predict the damaged zones and the maximum deflection of SPSWs under explosive loads. Then, this study uses a MLR, MLnER, GEP, ANFIS and an ensemble model to predict the maximum detection of SPSWs. Several statistical parameters and error terms are used to evaluate the accuracy of the different surrogate models. The results show that the cross-section in the y-direction and the plate thickness have the most significant effects on the maximum deflection of SPSWs. The results also show that the maximum deflection is related to the scaled distance, i.e. for a value of 0.383. The ensemble model performs better than all other models for predicting the maximum deflection of SPSWs under explosive loads.

The resistance of SPSW under explosive loads is evaluated using nonlinear FE analysis and surrogate methods. This study uses the CONWEP model for the explosive load and the Johnson-Cook model for the steel plate. Based on the Taguchi method, 25 samples out of 100 samples are selected for a parametric study where we predict the damaged zones and the maximum deflection of SPSWs under explosive loads. Then, this study uses a MLR, MLnER, GEP, ANFIS and an ensemble model to predict the maximum detection of SPSWs. Several statistical parameters and error terms are used to evaluate the accuracy of the different surrogate models. The results show that the cross-section in the y-direction and the plate thickness have the most significant effects on the maximum deflection of SPSWs. The results also show that the maximum deflection is related to the scaled distance, i.e. for a value of 0.383. The ensemble model performs better than all other models for predicting the maximum deflection of SPSWs under explosive loads.

This paper seeks to explore and detect underlying relationships between identifiable primary causes of defects in local authority housing stock with the view to identifying which groups of building components are associated with one another. It is primarily based on responses to a questionnaire from building surveyors who were involved in the day‐to‐day diagnosis of defects of a large local authority housing stock. The intercorrelations among the primary defect‐causing factors demanded the application of principal component analysis to determine the factors affecting deterioration of the building fabric. This resulted in the extraction of nine significant factors which combine to exert their influence on the building.

Despite recognizing the significance of risk-based frameworks in fire safety engineering, the usual approach in structural fire design is largely member/component level, wherein effect of uncertainties influencing the fire resistance of structures are not explicitly considered. In this context, a probabilistic framework is presented to investigate the vulnerability of a reinforced concrete (RC) members and structure under fire loading scenario.

The RC structures exposed to fire are modeled in a finite element (FE) platform incorporating material and geometric nonlinearity, in which the transient thermo-mechanical analysis is carried out by suitably incorporating the temperature variation of thermal and mechanical properties of both concrete and steel rebar. The stochasticity in the system is considered in structural resistance, thermal and fire model parameters, and the subsequent fragility curves are developed considering threshold limit state of deflection.

The fire resistance of RC structure is reported to be significantly lower in comparison to the RC members, thereby illustrating the current prescriptive design approaches based on studies of structural member behavior to be crucial from a safety and reliability point of view.

The framework developed for the vulnerability assessment of RC structures under fire hazard through FE analysis can be effectively used to estimate the structural fire resistance for other similar structure to enhance safety and reliability of structures under such extreme threats.

The paper proposes a novel methodology for vulnerability assessment of three-dimensional RC structures under fire hazard through FE analysis and provides comparison of the structural fragility with fragility developed for structural members. Moreover, the research emphasizes to assume 3D behavior of the structure rather than the approximate 2D behavior.