BEHAVIOUR AND RESISTANCE OF

RC MEMBER UNDER FIRE

1st SEMINAR FIRE BEHAVIOUR OF RC MEMBERS

PRESENTED BY R.SHANMUGASUNDARAM SE 709 / 11J17 Ist Year M.E Structural Engineering

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Objectives of presentation
To study the performance of RC members and concrete under fire. To analyse the fire resistance of members in terms of fire resistance ratings. To model the concrete based on numerical modeling and interaction charts. To learn the fire behavior using case studies.

Need for study of fire behaviour:

Fire is one of most severe environmental hazards to which a structure is subjected and hence the provision of appropriate fire safety measures for structural members is the major requirement in design.

Fires cause significant personal , capital and production loss in the buildings affected.

Fire performance of concrete is controlled by its constituent materials.

FIRE TRIANGLE

The intensity of a fire and the duration of the phases, as measured by the temperature/time curve of the gases in the compartment, depend on many parameters:

The amount and distribution of combustible materials.

The characteristics, i.e., the burning rate of these materials. The ventilation conditions of the fire damaged area.
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CLASSIFICATION OF FIRE
Combustible and flammable fuels involved in fires have been

broken down into five categories:

Class A fires - are fires involving organic solids like paper,

wood, Etc
Class B fires - are fires involving flammable Liquids Class C fires - are fires involving flammable Gasses Class D fires - are fires involving Metals Class F fires - are fires involving Cooking oils.
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STAGES OF FIRE CHART

Fire Behaviour of RC Members:

The RC column are generally exposed to fire from 1,2,3,4 sides depending on its location. The Beams are subjected to fire from three sides namely bottom and sides. In case of slabs and walls, the exposure is one side only.

BEHAVIOUR OF BEAM

BEHAVIOUR OF COLUMN

BULGING

BUCKLING

BEHAVIOUR OF SLAB AND FLOOR

Fire ignited

Removal of concrete cover (Spalling)

Steel yields and loses strength

Concrete takes the load (Loses strength and stiffness of member)

Failure of Member

SCALE OF REACTION OF CONCRETE TO FIRE

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Fire performance of concrete:

Concrete loses its strength , stiffness properties under fire. Chunks of concrete may breakup from surface of concrete member during exposure to fire called as fire induced spalling. Failure of concrete member is governed by critical temperature in reinforcing steel.

Critical temperature is defined as the temperature at which reinforcing steel loses 50% of its strength(593C)
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Fire performance of concrete (Contd..):

Spalling and cracking during heating and disintegration during cooling are common concrete behaviors observed in fire investigations. Factors that cause these failure behaviors involve: 1) 2) 3) 4) Thermal stresses induced by thermal gradients Decomposition of calcium hydroxide (CH) in the cement paste The calcination of limestone aggregates The phase transformation of quartz aggregate at elevated temperatures.

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SPALLING CRITERIA Spalling involves the breaking off of layers or pieces of concrete from the surface during thermal exposure.

Spalling can broadly be classified into 3 different types: Aggregate spalling, Corner spalling (sloughing off) Explosive spalling Surface spalling

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 Aggregate spalling is caused by aggregate failure close to the surface and involves small pieces flying off from the surface.
Corner spalling is characterized by larger corner pieces falling off the concrete due to tensile cracks developing at corners and edges Explosive spalling involves the ejection of pieces of concrete from the heated surface at high velocities.. It poses the greater threat to structural stability

Surface spalling involves a disc shaped violent flaking, especially in pressure stressed walls, producing a cracking sound
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As per Euro Code 2, no checks for spalling are required from the designer if: The moisture content of the member is less than 3% or the member is designed for internal exposure The tabulated data is used to prescribe generic fire ratings for concrete elements (except for axis distances > 70 mm)

Mechanisms of spalling:
Pore pressure induced spalling:
As concrete is heated the free water vaporises at 100C and expands; thereby resulting in increased pore pressures. Pore pressure spalling occurs if the maximum pore pressure is greater than the local tensile strength of the concrete.
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Mechanisms of spalling (Contd..)

Thermal stress induced spalling: Strong thermal gradients develop in concrete as it is heated, due to its low thermal conductivity and high specific heat. These thermal gradients induce compressive stresses close to the surface due to restrained thermal expansion and tensile stresses in the cooler interior regions. Combined pore pressure and thermal stress induced spalling Spalling occurs due to the combination of tensile stresses induced by thermal expansion and increased pore pressure

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SPALLING MODEL:
Material parameters that contribute to the occurrence of spalling include: initial moisture content, concrete permeability, porosity the presence of cracks, aggregate type, aggregate size amount of reinforcement. Geometric factors include section shape and size. Environmental factors include heating rate and profile, temperature level and thermal restraint
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SPALLING MODEL(Contd..):
The fundamental assumption in this analysis is that spalling will occur, thus it assumed that the material and geometric conditions which trigger spalling are satisfied. Assuming that spalling will occur, it is then necessary to define when spalling will occur during fire exposure. The environmental parameters of heating rate and temperature level are useful indicators in a thermal analysis of when spalling may occur. From the literature it is found that heating rates in the range of 20 32C/min are significant for spalling. Such high heating rates normally occur in the early stages of the fire
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Case study:
The beam is 600 mm deep, 300 mm wide and 6000 mm long. The concrete strength fck is assumed to be 30 MPa. The beam is reinforced with six 16 mm steel bars of yield strength, fy = 500 MPa. The cover depth is assumed to be 45 mm. A 2-D heat transfer analysis of the member cross section is performed using ABAQUS finite element software (ABAQUS 2006).

The onset of spalling is triggered when the bottom surface temperature reaches the range of 375-425C.
The load ratio is defined below: rload = M *fire / R cold

where M*fire = Applied bending moment in fire conditions and R cold = Ambient ultimate capacity.
For an applied load of 34 kN/m during the fire the beam has a load ratio, r load = 0.5.
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Discussion:
The beam has a load ratio of 0.5.

When the steel strength falls to 50% of its ambient value the ultimate moment capacity is exceeded and the beam will fail if the spalling occurs at the location of maximum moment. If spalling occurs away from the location of maximum moment it may be assumed that failure times will increase as the demand on the steel is less.

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Microstructure Study of Concrete

Microstructure of fire damaged concrete is investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and stereo microscopy. SEM is irradiated with a finely focused electron beam with a field depth of 35 m, a resolution of 10 nm, and magnification of X20,000. Due to its high resolution and field depth, the fracture features could be detected. It can also be used to examine many characteristics of the sample, such as composition, surface topography, and crystallography
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Scanning Electron Microscope

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Microstructure study of concrete (Contd..):

Samples were either taken from concrete that was subjected to heating and cooling of controlled temperatures in the laboratory or removed from concrete and masonry units exposed to fires in the field. Seven temperature regimes of 20, 100, 250, 400, 550, 750,and 900C were selected for the test program. Specimens were placed in an electric furnace in which temperatures were regulated to increase at a rate of about 20 C per min , and remained constant at each designated temperature regime for 15 min.

At the end of each 15-min interval, the power was shut off and the selected specimen was removed from the furnace

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SEM OBSERVATIONS
The morphology of C-S-H gels has been divided into 4 types: Type I covers fibrous particles, a few micrometer long, in the form of a spine, prism, rod shape, or rolled sheet; Type II is a reticular or honeycomb-shaped structure formed in conjunction with Type I Type III covers the nondescript or flattened particles under 0.1 m
Hydration products of calcium silicate gels (C-S-H), CH, ettringite, and monosulfate in an unheated sample

Type IV is compact and has a dimpled appearance, which is generally formed in a later hydration period.

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SEM OBSERVATIONS
Calcium hydroxide appears as thin hexagonal plates (tens of micrometers across). At a later stage of hydration, CH grows into a massive structure and loses its hexagonal shape. Ettringite forms into long rods or needles with parallel sides that have no branches. Monosulfate hydrate and the hexagonal calcium-aluminate hydrate form a thin hexagonal plate structure. A few samples were exposed to temperatures lower than 200 C and examined under SEM, but no cracks were noticeable.
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Hydration products of calcium silicate gels (C-S-H), CH, ettringite, and monosulfate in an unheated sample

SEM OBSERVATIONS
Fig. 2 shows the morphology of hydrates after exposure at 250 C; substantial changes from euhedral (well-formed crystals) platy crystals to subhedral. The change is primarily due to the dehydration reaction.

Morphologies of hydrates after 250 C exposure.

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SEM OBSERVATIONS

Fig-3 shows loss of crystallinity from euhedral to anhedral, cracks, and cavitation caused by the collapse of crystalsinto anhedral masses. An endothermal reaction occurs exclusively between 440 and 580 C due to the dehydroxylation of calcium hydroxide.

Morphologies of hydrates after 400 C exposure.

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SEM OBSERVATIONS
Platy calcium hydrate is arranged in layers with interlayer acicular ettringite and sponge of filament-like C-S-H. Decarbonation of calcium carbonate occurs between 580 and 900 C together with possible solid-solid phase transformation
Morphology of the hydrates after exposure at 500 C.

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SEM OBSERVATIONS

Morphologies of hydrates after 750 C exposure

Severe shrinkage cracks and honeycombs in cement paste after 900C exposure

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SEM OBSERVATIONS
CH is formed as a result of rehydration of calcium oxide. The long irregular fibrous hydrates are C-S-H gels mingled with ettringites that exist in voids of CH crystals. The C-S-H forms honeycomb and filigree networks with small pore spaces.

Morphology of sample after 900 C exposure followed by water curing

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STEREOSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS
Due to the decomposition of some aggregates and the presence of melted paste, the maximum temperature of the fire for the study was estimated higher than that of the laboratory tests. The obtained samples were examined using a polarized light microscope, a stereomicroscope, and a scanning electron microscope Localized paste melting might have resulted in a green-blue discoloration on fire-exposed surfaces.
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Outer surface of broken concrete sample exposed to fire (stereomicroscopic view, X45 magnification)

STEREOSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS
The discoloration was visible to the naked eye with the polarized light microscope, and the melted paste appeared as round globules of blue-green glass Under the stereo microscope, the field samples revealed local melting of the cement paste and subsequent formation of glass layers.
Outer surface of broken concrete sample exposed to fire (stereomicroscopic view, X45 magnification)

The glassy layer mantles a limestone aggregate particle at the center of the view.

The aggregate particle reveals a color change from beige to gray to white toward the outer surface 33

STEREOSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS
Arrowhead #1 : Fig shows fly ash spheres (small spherical particles), and extensive microcracks radiating from the perimeters of aggregate particles or passing along the interfaces of aggregates and cement paste. Arrowhead#2 : Micro air voids

Arrowhead #3 : Microcracks in the cement paste

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Effects of high temperatures on cement pastes:

Within the temperature range of 4 to 80C, the hydration products of ordinary Portland cement remain chemically stable.

Concrete loses its absorbed water in the range of 65 to 80C and its interlayer water in the 80 to 100C range.
The increase in temperature up to 100C may supply the unhydrated cement particles with a needed activation energy to enforce its hydration. Between 100 and 200C,the material property of the cement paste begins to lose its stability due to a weak physical/chemical reaction. They affect the primary chemical bonds, secondary cohesive (Vander Waal forces), porosity, and pore size distribution.
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 At 400 to 600C may activate a series of reactions in hardened cement paste. Decomposition of C-S-H or CS-H (II) generally occurs at 600 to 700 C to form -C2S The chemical decomposition and loss of the chemically bonded water set the stage for melting at temperatures above 900C.

Effect of cooling on concrete

The crack development and separation between aggregates and the cement paste may take place in an appreciable scale during cooling. For example, concrete exposed to a fire where the temperature is 500 C and water spread generally develops cracks on the order of 1mm width and 10~20-mm length. The strength gain may be attributed to the rehydration of the gel, the hydration of unhydrated cement grains, and the carbonation of calcium oxide
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INTERACTION FORMULA FOR RC COLUMNS

IN FIRE
The approach hinges on the interaction of elastic buckling and plastic squashing capacities of columns at elevated temperature. Through a series of finite element parametric analyses, the method has incorporated parameters that account for the heat transfer process from the design fire temperature-time curve into the highly non uniform heated column section. The formula is applicable for both axially loaded and eccentrically loaded RC columns. It can be used to either predict the column load bearing capacity for a given fire curve or the column fire exposure time assuming a constant applied load. The major source of error in predicting the fire resistance of RC columns generally arises from uncertainties in determining the temperature distribution and spalling of concrete.
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Interaction Formula for Axially loaded RC columns in fire conditions The fire resistance of axially loaded RC columns can be determined from 1 1 1 --------------- = -------------- + -------------PRr(t) uprPp(t) uerPe(t)

(A)

where PRr(t) is the reduced Rankine load for nonideal columns upr and uer are the respective plastic and elastic critical load reduction factor; uer is typically unity. These two factors are used to accommodate load eccentricity or applied moment rather than secondary effect arising from slenderness ratio.

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The plastic collapse load Pp(0) and the elastic critical load Pe(0) at ambient temperature can be determined from Pp(0) = Qc(0) + Qyr(0)= 0.85fc(0)Ac+ fyr (0) Asr and
2 [0.2Ec(0)Ic + Esr Isr] Pe(0) = --------------------------------------- (ACI 318-99:2000) Le2 Where Qc(0) and Qyr(0) are the respective contribution to plastic squashing load Pp(0) from concrete and steel reinforcement; fc (0) and Ec(0) are the cylinder strength and elastic modulus of concrete, respectively; fyr(0) and Esr(0) are the yield strength and elastic modulus of steel reinforcement, respectively;

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 Ac and Asr are the area of concrete and steel reinforcement, respectively; Ic and Isr are the second moment of area of concrete and steel reinforcement about the centroid respectively. On the other hand, due to the non uniformity in temperature at elevated temperatures, the plastic collapse load Pp(t) can be computed from
Pp(t)= c(t) Qc(0)+ yr(t)Qyr(0) Where fc(t) dAc c = -------------------fc(0) Ac

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 Dotreppe, Franssen, and Vanderzeypen (1999) performed thermal analysis for RC columns under the ISO 834 fire curve using a computer program developed at the University of Lige. They proposed the following respective expression for c(t) and yr(t). (t) c(t) = ------------------------------- ((1+ 0.3Ac-0.5 t )Ac-0.25)

and

0.9t yr(t) = (t). (1 - -------------------) 0 0.046c +0.11 Where t is the fire exposure time in hours; Ac is the cross sectional area in m2; and c is the concrete cover in mm. In above equations, the factor (t) is to account for possible spalling of concrete and is given by (t) = 1 0.3t 0.85
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Interaction Formula for Eccentrically loaded RC columns in fire conditions Equation (A) is also applicable to eccentrically loaded RCcolumns in fire conditions, except that the plastic load reduction factor upr has to be considered when calculating the fire resistance of eccentrically loaded RC columns. uer is set to unity because RC columns are relatively stocky with modified slenderness ratio r 0.5, and the main uncertainty in prediction arises from spalling of concrete rather than the prediction of the elastic critical load.

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For columns under biaxial bending with eccentricities ex and ey about the respective major and minor bending axis, the plastic reduction factor upr can be determined from Breslers reciprocal load equation (Nilson and Winter 1991) 1 1 1 ---------------- = -------------- + --------------- - 1 upr uprx upry where uprx is the plastic reduction factor when only eccentricity ex is present (ey = 0); and upry is the plastic reduction factor when only eccentricity ey is present (ex = 0).

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Topics for Future Session of Seminar

Seminar 2 - Structural fire tests, Assessment of fire damage, Fire resistance of RC members.
Seminar 3 Repair techniques for fire damaged RC member

THANK YOU

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