Effect of Fire on the Residual Mechanical Properties and Structural Performance of Reinforced Concrete Beams

This article relates to how fire affects residual mechanical properties and structural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams by combining thermal and structural analyses. Thermal analysis incorporates the finite difference method to model the temperature distribution in a RC beam subjected to heat transfer typical of that in a fire. Using the lumped method, structural analysis is performed to calculate the residual mechanical properties (bending moment, shear strength, and elastic modulus) of RC beams after fire exposure. As no two fires are the same, this novel scheme for predicting residual mechanical properties of fire-exposed RC beams is highly promising in that it eliminates the extensive testing otherwise required when determining fire ratings for structural assemblies.