CALCULATION OF FORCES GENERATED IN RESTRAINED CONCRETE COLUMNS SUBJECTED TO FIRE

摘要

Restraining structural elements from expansion when subjected to elevated temperatures generates extra axial compression forces that can speed up the failure of the element and reduces its fire resistance. This article reports on a developed method to calculate the axial restraint forces generated in axially restrained concrete elements under fire. The method is based on finite defer-ence approach. The article includes a comparison between the theoretical and the experimental values of restraint forces generated in 54 high and normal strength concrete columns previously tested at Ulster University. It also presents a comparison between the theoretical and experimental values of restraint forces for four individual cases of high and normal strength concrete columns. The method shows a reasonable agreement with experimental values.