Experimental analysis of fire-resistant and non-fire-resistant steel beams

Abstract

Fire-resistant steels have been produced and used in the civil construction aiming to reduce the use of passive fire protection in structural elements. They are reported to preserve mechanical properties up to a certain critical temperature as compared to conventional (non-fire-resistant) steels. This work presents results from experimental tests performed on true-scale beams produced with both fire-resistant and conventional steels. The beams were subjected to thermal and mechanical loads inside a horizontal furnace, and the evolution of the deflections and temperatures were measured at different sections along the span. Conclusively, a marked difference in behavior between both steel types was found, with the fire-resistant beams performing noticeably better, also enabling other interesting observations.