Computational Models for Structural Crashworthiness Analysis in Fires

Abstract

Structures and infrastructures in fires inevitably experience nonlinear structural consequences as a result of fire loads, such as elevated temperatures and heat fluxes (as described in Chap. 8). Such analysis is a key task within the framework of quantitative fire risk assessment and management (as described in Chap. 16). Two methods of structural crashworthiness analysis in fires are relevant, namely the one-way method and the two-way method. The one-way method is a sequential approach in which the prediction of the fire load profile, heat transfer analysis, and structural response analysis are conducted sequentially in a single way. Furthermore, the interacting effects between fire loads (e.g., temperatures) and structural responses (e.g., deformations and structural failures) with time are not accounted for. The two-way method is an approach that captures fire consequences more realistically. Specifically, fire load prediction, nonlinear structural response analysis, and heat transfer analysis are conducted simultaneously. Furthermore, this approach considers the “fluid-structure interaction” (FSI) effect. This chapter presents computational models for both the heat transfer analysis and the nonlinear structural response analysis in fires.

A major part of this chapter refers to the article by Paik et al. [8].