Assessment of critical parameters affecting the behaviour of bearing reinforced concrete walls under fire exposure

Assad, Maha; Hawileh, Rami; Karaki, Ghada; Abdalla, Jamal; Naser, M. Z.

Abstract

Purpose: This research paper aims to investigate reinforced concrete (RC) walls' behaviour under fire and identify the thermal and mechanical factors that affect their performance. Design/methodology/approach: A three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model is developed to predict the response of RC walls under fire and is validated through experimental tests on RC wall specimens subjected to fire conditions. The numerical model incorporates temperature-dependent properties of the constituent materials. Moreover, the validated model was used in a parametric study to inspect the effect of the fire scenario, reinforcement concrete cover, reinforcement ratio and configuration, and wall thickness on the thermal and structural behaviour of the walls subjected to fire. Findings: The developed 3D FE model successfully predicted the response of experimentally tested RC walls under fire conditions. Results showed that the fire resistance of the walls was highly compromised under hydrocarbon fire. In addition, the minimum wall thickness specified by EC2 may not be sufficient to achieve the desired fire resistance under considered fire scenarios. Originality/value: There is limited research on the performance of RC walls exposed to fire scenarios. The study contributed to the current state-of-the-art research on the behaviour of RC walls of different concrete types exposed to fire loading, and it also identified the factors affecting the fire resistance of RC walls. This guides the consideration and optimisation of design parameters to improve RC walls performance in the event of a fire.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 28, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 27, 2023
• Publication Date: Aug 2, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 19, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 24, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Structural Fire Engineering
• Print ISSN: 2040-2317
• Publisher: Emerald
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 362-382
• Series ISSN: 2040-2317
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSFE-07-2023-0029
• Keywords: Fire, reinforced concrete walls, finite element analysis
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11459601