Guidelines for Improving the Standard Fire Resistance Test Specifications

Abstract

The current approach of evaluating fire resistance is mainly through standard fire tests. The specifications for standard fire tests have a number of drawbacks and require only a limited amount of data to be collected during tests, and this is hindering the development of calculation methodologies for evaluating fire resistance. This paper discusses the various drawbacks in the current specifications for undertaking fire resistance tests. The improvements needed to make the standard fire resistance tests more effective and the collected test data more useful are outlined. Strategies for implementing the proposed recommendations (improvements) in test standards are illustrated with examples. Finally, the applicability of the proposed recommendations is illustrated by undertaking fire resistance tests on a midsized column and a midsized beam under improved test specifications. Data collected from these fire resistance tests is used to calibrate finite element based computer models, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of collecting additional test data.