Fire resistance evaluation for a steel hall transverse frame depending on the simplification degree of the computational model applied

Abstract

It is presented in detail how the selection of a structural model describing the behaviour of a steel hall transverse frame when subject to fire exposure in a more or less complex way may affect the fire resistance evaluation for such a frame. In the examples compiled in this paper the same typical one-aisle and single-story steel hall is subjected to simulated fire action, each time following the same fire development scenario. A resultant fire resistance is identified individually in each case, using various computational models, on an appropriate static equilibrium path obtained numerically. The resulting estimates vary, not only in the quantitative sense, but also in terms of their qualitative interpretation. It is shown that the greater the simplification of the model used, the more overstated the estimated fire resistance is in relation to its real value. Such an overestimation seems to be dangerous to the user, as it gives him an illusory but formally unjustified sense of the guaranteed safety level.