Behaviour of End-Plate Connections in 3D Frames Under Fire Conditions: Experimental Study

Due to high vulnerability of steel structures to elevated temperatures and the need for taking adequate and effective measures to reduce human and financial losses in fires, a thorough understanding of such behaviour is of utmost importance. In this research, a half-scale 3D model, comprising moment-resisting frames, equipped with flush end-plate connections, in one direction, and braced frames in the other, was subjected to a scaled ISO 834 standard fire. The maximum attained temperature was 1055 degrees C. The results showed that the structure tolerates high temperatures for an appreciable amount of time before collapsing. Moreover, for thick flush end-plates, which were used in this study, the collapse was initiated by bolt failure, giving rise to the idea of using more/stronger bolts and weaker end-plates to delay the overall collapse of the structure.