Fire resistance of stainless steel slender elliptical hollow section beam-columns
Journal of Structural Fire Engineering
ISSN: 2040-2317
Article publication date: 26 November 2021
Issue publication date: 29 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Stainless steel has different advantages when compared to conventional carbon steel. The corrosion resistance and aesthetic appearance are the most known; however, its better behaviour under elevated temperatures can also be important in buildings design. In spite of the initial cost, stainless-steel application as a structural material has been increasing. Elliptical hollow sections integrate the architectural attributes of the circular hollow sections and the structural advantages of the rectangular hollow sections (RHSs). Hence, the application of stainless-steel material combined with elliptical hollow profiles stands as an interesting design option. The purpose of the paper is to better understand the resistance of stainless-steel-beam columns in case of fire
Design/methodology/approach
The research presents a numerical study on the behaviour of stainless-steel members with slender elliptical hollow section (EHS) subjected to axial compression and bending about the strong axis at elevated temperatures. A parametric numerical study is presented here considering with and without out-of-plane buckling different stainless-steel grades, cross-section and member slenderness, bending moment diagrams and elevated temperatures.
Findings
The tested design methodologies proved to be inadequate for the EHS members being in some situations too conservative.
Originality/value
The safety and accuracy of Eurocode 3 (EC3) design methodology and of a recent design proposal developed for I-sections and cold-formed RHSs are analysed applying material and geometric non-linear analysis considering imperfections with the finite element software SAFIR.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was performed within the framework of the project “StaSteFi - Fire design of stainless steel members”, PTDC/ECI-EGC/30655/2017, supported by the Portuguese Operational Programme “Competitividade e Internacionalização”, in its FEDER/FNR component, and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), in its State Budget component (OE).
Citation
Alexandre Matias Arrais, F., Lopes, N. and Vila Real, P. (2022), "Fire resistance of stainless steel slender elliptical hollow section beam-columns", Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 224-248. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSFE-06-2021-0035
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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