Project N.11
Title:
Fire behaviour
Objectives
The construction industry is subject to extensive norms and standards to guarantee the fire safety of both existing and new structures. Structural fire testing and analysis of full-scale structural elements and assemblages based on non-traditional or newly developed materials is essential in order to validate emerging construction and retrofitting technologies and to increase their market acceptance. This ESR project will provide a fundamental understanding of the behaviour of: (1) steel-reinforced AAM concrete and AAM FRHPC structural elements and (2) RC and masonry elements strengthened with AAM-TRM, under simulated fire conditions. To achieve this, the following objectives are defined:
| 1) | Tuning the mix design of different types of AAM (plain, fiber-reinforced, or combined with textiles) for fire resistance taking into account both theoretical predictions (e.g. based on the FactSage thermochemical software) and experimental results (derived from small-scale tests designed to assess material properties under elevated temperatures). |
| 2) | Perform medium-scale indicative fire resistance testing on unloaded: (a) beam-/slab-type and column-/wall-type specimens of type (1) and (b) slab-/wall-type specimens of type (2). |
| 3) | Optimize the mix design of the different AAM types based on the results of indicative fire resistance tests. |
| 4) | Perform large-scale fire resistance testing on load-bearing: (a) slabs and walls of type (1), (b) RC slabs and columns furnished with AAM-TRM overlays and jackets, respectively and (c) masonry walls strengthened with AAM-TRM overlays. Cases (b) & (c) will be similar to elements tested by ESR6. |
Develop analytical models to describe the structural behaviour of elements tested as above under fire.
Expected Results
| 1) | Understanding the effect of mix design and curing regimes on the material properties of different types of AAMs under elevated temperatures; |
| 2) | producing guidelines for the production of fire resistant AAMs depending on the intended use; |
| 3) | filling the knowledge gap related to the fire resistance of load-bearing structural elements made of or incorporating AAMs; |
| 4) | providing guidelines for the fire protection systems needed for AAM- based structures; |
| 5) | examining the adequacy of contemporary fire engineering design procedures applicable to conventional RC structures for AAM-based ones; |
| 6) | providing an analytical tool for the simulation of the response of selected structural elements under fire. |