Fire design of concrete encased columns: Validation of an advanced calculation model

Abstract

The fire resistance of composite steel and concrete structures may be determined by using the simplified methods provided in EN 1994-1-2. For the particular situations not covered by the standard, an advanced calculation model might be applied, using special purpose programs for the analysis of structures in fire. The validation of these programs has always been an important issue for software developers, but also for designers and authorities. Clause 4.4.4 from EN 1994-1-2 refers to the validation of the advanced calculation models and states that these models must be validated through relevant test results. The paper presents the calculation of fire resistance of the composite columns in a high-rise building built in Romania, and focusses on the validation of the calculation model (computer program SAFIR), for this particular case. This validation, asked by the Romanian authorities, considers the available experimental results of a fire test, performed on a similar composite steel-concrete column.