EXPERIMENTAL TESTS AND NUMERICAL MODELLING ON EIGHT SLENDER STEEL COLUMNS UNDER INCREASING TEMPERATURES

摘要

This paper is about a series of experimental fire tests on eight full scale steel columns made of slender I shaped class 4 sections.Six columns were made of welded sections (some prismatic and some tapered members) and two columns were with hot rolled sections.The nominal length of the columns was 2.7 meters with the whole length being heated.The load was applied at ambient temperature after which the temperature was increased under constant load.The load was applied concentrically on some tests and with an eccentricity in other tests.Heating was applied by electrical resistances enclosed in ceramic pads.Numerical simulations were performed using shell elements of the software.The paper presents the results obtained in terms of failure mode and ultimate temperature, in the experimental tests and in the numerical simulations.