Impact of the variability of material constitutive models on the thermal response of reinforced concrete walls

Karaki, Ghada; Hawileh, Rami A.; Naser, M. Z.

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines the effect of temperature-dependent material models for normal-strength (NSC) and high-strength concrete (HSC) on the thermal analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) walls. Design/methodology/approach: The study performs an one-at-a-time (OAT) sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of variables defining the constitutive and parametric fire models on the wall's thermal response. Moreover, it extends the sensitivity analysis to a variance-based analysis to assess the effect of constitutive model type, fire model type and constitutive model uncertainty on the RC wall's thermal response variance. The study determines the wall’s thermal behaviour reliability considering the different constitutive models and their uncertainty. Findings: It is found that the impact of the variability in concrete’s conductivity is determined by its temperature-dependent model, which differs for NSC and HSC. Therefore, more testing and improving material modelling are needed. Furthermore, the heating rate of the fire scenario is the dominant factor in deciding fire-resistance performance because it is a causal factor for spalling in HSC walls. And finally the reliability of wall's performance decreased sharply for HSC walls due to the expected spalling of the concrete and loss of cross-section integrity. Originality/value: Limited studies in the current open literature quantified the impact of constitutive models on the behaviour of RC walls. No studies have examined the effect of material models' uncertainty on wall’s response reliability under fire. Furthermore, the study's results contribute to the ongoing attempts to shape performance-based structural fire engineering.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 9, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Apr 22, 2024
• Publication Date: Oct 30, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jun 10, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 11, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Structural Fire Engineering
• Print ISSN: 2040-2317
• Publisher: Emerald
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 582-602
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSFE-06-2023-0027
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/12039044