Collaborative Research: Fire Engineering Guidelines for the Design of Steel Beam-Columns

结构防火安全是高层建筑设计中的主要考虑因素之一，其中钢通常是选择的材料。高层建筑中最常见的结构构件之一是由梁柱组成的抗弯框架构件。本项目的目标是开发简单的工具和设计指南，用于预测现实火灾、荷载、失效和几何条件下钢梁柱结构系统的需求和能力。为了实现上述目标，密歇根州立大学（MSU）和普林斯顿大学（PU）提出了一个包括全尺寸火灾实验和数值研究的合作研究项目，包括以下五个方面：（1）真实的火灾和荷载情景下的实验研究;（2）火灾-传热-结构耦合模型的有限元参数研究;（3）预测系统行为（即，（4）评估框架中梁柱（特别是周边柱）的性能;（5）制定评估梁柱耐火性的指导方针，并将信息传递到规范和标准中。本研究将利用课题（1）的火灾实验数据对课题（2）的有限元模型进行验证和校正，并以此为基础开发简化的设计工具和指导原则。本研究的智力价值在于为涉及梁柱火灾-结构相互作用的高度复杂问题开发设计方法。拟议的火灾实验研究是独一无二的，因为它将导致开发的测试数据（第一次）的梁柱设计火灾，现实的负载，故障和约束的情况下。建议的数值研究涉及跟踪高度复杂的行为的梁柱耦合传热/应变平衡分析的基础上理论传热和力学原理。因此，本文的研究有助于对梁柱从火灾前阶段到倒塌阶段的整个荷载范围内的火灾行为有一个基本的了解。 简化的公式和相关的设计准则将有助于将耐火设计纳入整体结构设计，并将导致既有基础设施中钢梁柱的成本效益和合理的消防安全设计。因此，拟议的研究梁柱将形成的基础上，制定设计准则，以提供更好的消防安全和有助于美国规范和标准的发展。PI已经制定了向执业工程师传播工作的计划，并为结构消防安全领域的两名博士和三名本科生提供了丰富的研究经验。其中一名首席执行官是妇女，将大力招收妇女和少数民族学生。

Structural fire safety is one of the primary considerations in the design of high-rise buildings, where steel is often the material of choice. One of the most common types of structural members in high rise buildings is the moment-resisting frame (MRF) members, which consist of beam-columns. The objective of this project is to develop simple tools and design guidelines for predicting the demands and capacity of steel beam-column structural systems under realistic fire, loading, failure, and geometric conditions. To achieve the above objectives, a collaborative research between Michigan State University (MSU) and Princeton University (PU) involving full-scale fire experiments and numerical studies is proposed under the following five tasks: (1) experimental investigation under real fire and loading scenarios; (2) finite element parametric study using coupled fire-heat transfer-structural interaction model; (3) predict the system behavior (i.e., demands) of beam-columns with thermal gradients; (4) evaluate the behavior of beam-columns (specifically perimeter columns) in frames; and (5) develop guidelines for evaluating fire resistance of beam-columns and transfer the information to codes and standards. The data from fire experiments in Task (1) will be used to validate and calibrate the finite element models in Task (2), which in turn will form the basis for developing simplified design tools and guidelines.The intellectual merit of this research lies in developing design approaches for the highly complex problem involving fire-structure interaction of beam-columns. The proposed fire experiments studies are unique since it will lead to development of test data (for the first time) for beam columns under design fires, realistic loading, failure, and restraint scenarios. The proposed numerical studies involve tracing the highly complex behavior of a beam-column using coupled heat transfer/strain equilibrium analysis based on theoretical heat transfer and mechanics principles. Thus, the research proposed here lead to fundamental understanding on the fire behavior of beam-columns in the entire range of loading from pre-fire stage to collapse stages. The simplified equations and associated design guidelines will facilitate integration of fire resistance design into overall structural design and will lead to cost-effective and rational fire safety design of steel beam-columns in built infrastructure. Thus, the proposed research on beam-columns will form the basis for developing design guidelines to provide improved fire safety and contribute to the development of US codes and standards. The PIs have developed programs to disseminate the work to the practicing engineer, and they have developed a rich research experience for two PhD and three undergraduate students in structural fire safety area. One of the PIs is a woman and strong efforts will be made to recruit women and minority students.