| Abstract: | Load carrying capacity of concrete structures after fire exposure. The mechanical and thermal properties of building materials change at elevated temperatures. This change of material properties has an important influence on the load carrying and deformation behaviour in case of fire. The rate of increase of temperature through the cross section in a concrete element is relatively slow and so internal zones are protected against heat. Only a small part of the cross‐section is affected by the temperature action (loss of strength and stiffness). For these reasons reinforced concrete structures with adequate structural detailing usually reach high fire resistance without any additional fire protection. However after the fire has been extinguished the heat penetration into the cross section continues for hours. Additionally calcium hydroxide reformats during the cooling phase widening up micro cracks. The combination of these two phenomena can lead to a significant reduction of the compressive strength of concrete after the fire. This paper analyses the influence of the loss of strength during and after the cooling on the load carrying capacity of concrete elements. The numerical calculations presented in this study showed that after the cooling phase concrete elements can exhibit a load carrying capacity lower than during the fire. The design of concrete structures based on equivalent time of standard fire exposure without cooling phase can lead to unsafe results. For this reason it may be important to take into account the cooling phase of the fire for the calculation of the load bearing capacity of concrete structures. |
