Behaviour and design of restrained steel column in fire: Part 2. Parameter study

Abstract

This paper investigates behaviours of the restrained steel column in fire. For the restrained steel column under axial load only, investigated parameters include the axial load, the axial restraint stiffness, and the column slenderness; for the restrained steel column under combined axial load and bending moment, studied parameters included the axial load, the bending moment load, the axial restraint stiffness, the column slenderness and the end moment ratio. The results of parametric studies show that (1) the axial restraint causes a reduction in the failure temperature of the restrained column. The reduction increases with the increase in the axial restraint stiffness. However, when the axial restraint stiffness ratio is greater than a certain value, no further reduction occurs; (2) the difference between failure and buckling temperatures of a restrained column is great for columns with great axial restraint stiffness or great slenderness or small load ratio. This means that in this situation, the fire resistance of the restrained column can be increased from the column buckling temperature by considering the post-buckling behaviour; (3) an increase in the column axial load ratio or bending moment ratio causes both the column buckling and failure temperatures to decrease; (4) with an increase in the column end moment ratio, the failure temperature of restrained column decreases. The results of parametric studies will form the basis of a simplified calculation method to be presented in the companion paper.