FE Model Validation and Advanced Analyses of Steel Members with Steel Claddings at Elevated Temperatures

In order to investigate the stabilization effect of distinct steel members by steel cladding system including trapezoidal sheeting and sandwich panels in fire using advanced analysis techniques, the computer models and modeling techniques must be validated by available experiment tests. However, the fire tests in this area are scarce. As part of a wider validation scheme, this paper presents the modeling method using Ls Dyna explicit solver and the comparison of FE analysis results with four experimental tests at elevated low to medium temperatures (150-300 °C) in RFCS STABFI project. After the model validation, the advanced fire analyses of steel columns with two types of steel claddings such as trapezoidal sheeting and sandwich panel are carried out to investigate the stabilization effect. The analyses show that for the studied I-section column under both axial compression and bending moment, the position of steel claddings, either connecting with the tension flange or the compression flange, has significant influence on the fire resistance of the steel columns. When the trapezoidal sheet is connected with the compression flange, the fire resistance of steel column is 17 % more than that without cladding. Sandwich panel cladding has influences on the deformational behavior of column during the fire exposure. However, the contribution of sandwich panels to the fire resistance of steel columns is negligible due to the delamination of inner panel sheet. © 2021 The Authors. ce/papers published by Ernst & Sohn Verlag für Architektur und technische Wissenschaften GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin.