A novel nondestructive method to quantify fire-induced damage in RC structures based on their dynamic behavior

Abstract

The results of a research project on the dynamic behavior of fire-damaged RC structures are presented with specific reference to the fundamental period of the natural vibrations. Assessing the damage in fire-exposed RC structures is instrumental in understanding the features of the fire and in developing rational criteria to quantify structural post-fire safety. In this study, three moment-resisting frames were designed and tested to correlate the dynamic parameters with the temperature. Since the fundamental period of the natural vibrations can be easily measured for different levels of the thermal damage, the fire-induced variation of this parameter is a very efficient tool to quantify damage extension and allows introducing a novel fire damage index based on the relationship between the fundamental period and the temperature. This index is a contribution to facilitate decision-making concerning the repair and the partial or total demolition of fire-affected RC structures.