The role of modelling in structural fire engineering design

Abstract

This paper discusses structural fire engineering modelling, and how modelling techniques have allowed practicing engineers to learn lessons about global structural fire performance. Some of these lessons have been adopted in the design of new buildings, and some are also being fed-back into the design process to improve structural performance in fire and mitigate known structural vulnerabilities. The complexity of this modelling has permitted structures to be designed and lessons to be learned about whole frame behaviour in response to fire. This paper examines how the lessons learned from finite element modelling may be further disseminated to the structural engineering community through the creation of full frame design guidance. The benefits of this would be to improve the delivery of structural fire safety by increasing the impact of the discipline across structural engineering, while facilitating and encouraging the use of more in-depth structural fire models as appropriate.