Experimental Study on the Fire Performance of Tubular Steel Columns with Membrane Protections for Prefabricated and Modular Steel Construction

Analysis of Fire Resistance of Square-Cased Square Steel Tube Reinforced Concrete (ST-RC) Columns

Based on the finite element (FE) analysis software Abaqus, an FE model of square-cased square steel tube reinforced concrete (ST-RC) columns under the hybridized action of high-temperature and load is established. The accuracy of the FE model is verified using experimental data from existing studies. This model is used to analyze the temperature change, internal force distribution, and failure characteristics of the square-cased square ST-RC columns under the action of fire, as well as the factors affecting the fire resistance limit of the column. The results of FE analysis show that under the action of fire, the maximum internal temperature of the square-cased square ST-RC columns occurs in the corner of the section. Moreover, the stress and strain reach their maximum values at the concrete corner outside the tube. During the heating process, an internal force redistribution occurs in the square-cased square ST-RC column. At the same time, the proportion of the axial force and the bending moment of the reinforced concrete outside the pipe decreases gradually, while the proportion of the internal force of the core concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) increases gradually. In essence, it is a process of load transfer from the high-temperature to the low-temperature zone. In addition, the section size, load ratio, slenderness ratio, cross-sectional core area ratio, steel content, and external concrete strength are the main parameters affecting the fire resistance limit of the square-cased square ST-RC columns. Among them, the cross-sectional core area ratio, section size, steel ratio, and external concrete strength are positively correlated with the fire resistance limit of the composite column. On the contrary, with the increase in the load ratio and the slenderness ratio, the fire resistance limit of the square-cased square ST-RC columns decreases. On this basis, a simplified formula to calculate the fire resistance limit of square-cased square ST-RC columns is proposed. The research results can be used as a theoretical reference for the fire protection design of this kind of structure in practical engineering.

Interactive Buckling of Steel LC-Beams Under Bending

The present paper deals with the interactive buckling of thin-walled lipped channel (LC) beams under the bending moment in the web plane when the shear lag phenomenon and distortional deformations are taken into account. A plate model (2D) was adopted for LC beams. The structures were assumed to be simply supported at the ends. A modal method of solution to the interactive buckling problem within Koiter’s asymptotic theory, using the semi-analytical method (SAM) and the transition matrix method, was applied. LC-beams, from short through medium-long via long to very long beams, were considered. The paper focuses on the influence of the secondary global buckling mode on the load carrying capacity for the steel LC-beams under bending.