Numerical analysis of the behaviour of stainless steel cellular beam in fire

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper is concerned with the behaviour of stainless steel cellular beams during a fire. Stainless steel has become increasingly popular in recent years for structural applications, mainly due to its excellent corrosion resistance, as well as its other attractive physical and mechanical attributes. During a fire, stainless steel generally retains a higher proportion of their room temperature strength (above temperatures of 550°C) and stiffness (all temperatures) compared with carbon steel. In the current paper, the focus is on the fire behaviour of stainless steel cellular beams. There are no specific design rules available for these members and the carbon steel design rules for cellular beams are typically used with the stainless steel material properties. This work aims to investigate the validity of this approach by analysing the behaviour of stainless steel cellular beams with stiffened webs under fire conditions. A nonlinear finite element (FE) model is developed using the ABAQUS software, and is validated using fire test data. Then, the model is employed to conduct parametric studies in order to determine the most salient factors. Finally, design guidance is provided for stainless steel cellular beams in fire conditions, which consider the most influential geometric and material characteristics.