Thermo-structural analysis of reinforced concrete beams

Abstract

The objective of this study is to simulate the behavior of reinforced concrete beams in fire situation. In order to achieve this objective, advanced numerical formulations were developed, implemented and evaluated. When exposed to high temperatures, the properties of the material deteriorate, resulting in the loss of strength and stiffness. To achieve the goal, two new modules within the Computational System for Advanced Structural Analysis were created: Fire Analysis and Fire Structural Analysis. The first one aims to determine the temperature field in the cross section of structural elements through thermal analysis by using the Finite Element Method (FEM). The second was designed to perform the second-order inelastic analysis of structures under fire using FEM formulations based on the Refined Plastic Hinge Method coupled with the Strain Compatibility Method. The results obtained of the nonlinear analyses of two reinforced concrete beams under high temperature were compared with the numerical and experimental solutions available in literature and were highly satisfactory. These results also showed that the proposed numerical approach can be used to study the progressive collapse of other reinforced concrete structures in fire situation and extended to the numerical analysis of composite structures under fire condition.