Performance Based Fire Engineering Research of Steel and Composite Structures: A Review of Joint Behaviour

Abstract

Joints are critical members of a structure at both ambient temperature and in fire. Under fire conditions, joint behaviour has crucial influence on control of fire induced progressive collapse of the structure. Joint behaviour in fire is also considerably more complex than that at ambient temperature, because the joint forces change at elevated temperatures in fire. This paper will present a review of some recent research studies on steel joint behaviour under fire conditions. These studies include temperatures in different components of different types of joint, mechanical behaviour of different joint components, experimental study and numerical modelling of joint behaviour, either as an individual joint or as part of a structure. Afterwards, this paper will present some results of the influence of joint behaviour on structural fire behaviour. Compared with other aspects of steel structural fire behaviour, research on joint behaviour in fire is relatively recent so comprehensive design guides are not yet available. Nevertheless, it is possible to provide some guidance on potential joint influence on improving steel structural fire resistance or reducing the risk of fire-induced progressive structural collapse.