Fire Resistance

This paper addresses the efficiency of thermal insulation layers applied to protect structural elements strengthened by fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) in the case of fire event. The paper presents numerical modeling and nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) columns externally strengthened by FRP and protected by thermal insulation layers when subjected to elevated temperature specified by standard fire tests, in order to predict their residual capacity and fire endurance. The adopted numerical approach uses commercial software includes heat transfer, variation of thermal and mechanical properties of concrete, steel reinforcement, FRP and insulation material with elevated temperature. The numerical results show good agreement with published results of full-scale fire tests. A parametric study was conducted to investigate the influence of several variables on the structural response and residual capacity of insulated FRP-confined columns loaded by service loads when exposed ...

Regardless of the type of construction, structures ca­ pable of containing a fully developed fire do not just hap­ pen. Fire walls or area separation walls play an important role in the building codes in that they allow each portion of a building separated by such walls to be treated as a separate building. Attention to construction details is critical

This review covers mainly intumescent coatings, with briefer discussions of non-intumescent organic fire-resistive coatings and cementitious inorganic coatings. Emphasis is placed on the more recent developments, and the more recent patent literature is surveyed. Modeling and optimizing are covered both from basic and applied aspects. The chemistry of the production of a foamed char barrier is discussed. Enhancing the performance by adjuvants and choice of binders is shown to be possible. The important interactions of ammonium polyphosphate with other components such as titanium dioxide are described. Testing is briefly discussed, as are some shortcomings of present-day coatings, such as limited water resistance, and some opportunities for improvement.

In the present research oleic acid carbon dots have been optimized for high-thermal stability applications via suitable thermal-tuning in liquid as well as in anhydrous medium. The intended tuning of the nano-dimensional particles was achieved by Fischer Esterification using suitable hydroxyl group-bearing moieties. The achieved external surface functionalization was fast, easy and cost-effective. The synthesized carbon dots were characterized using UV-Vis, Fluorescence, FT-IR, SEM, TGA and DSC techniques. The coalesce of the stated instrumentations derived a possible mechanistic approach and relationship regarding the thermal-tuning of the carbon dots for a deeper overview. The band-gap energy measurement revealed exclusive wide band-gap semiconductor characteristics of the investigated nanoparticles. Further, the fabrication of carbon dots on cotton fabric potentialized a new class of synthetic flame-retardant free high temperature resistant textiles, deemed essential for a greener future. The enhanced nature of these carbon dots with requisite alteration capabilities for temperatures as high as 800 °C could certainly improve the applicability of these particles in future electronic advancements.

This type of lightweight concrete has no coarse aggregates in its mixture, and it can be mentioned that aerated lightweight concrete is the concrete mortar which is aerated with gas injection and also can be aerated by using air entraining agent. Aerating concrete by using air entraining agents is more practical in production of LWC. Fine aggregates that can be used to produce aerated concrete are known to be silica sand, quartzite sand, lime and fly ash. Considering methods of curing, aerated concrete can be categorized into two main groups which are autoclaved aerated concrete and non-autoclaved aerated concrete. Curing is an important factor affecting mechanical and physical properties of concretes in different categories. According to different reports, AAC can reach higher strength values with less drying shrinkage when it is compared to non-autoclaved aerated concrete (NAAC). Therefore, it can be concluded that autoclaving process has beneficial effects on strength development and also on shrinkage of aerated concrete. Autoclaved Aerated concrete (AAC) has many benefits for structures such as heat insulation, sound insulation, fire and mould resistance, reduced dead weight and many more. AAC products include blocks, wall panels, floor and roof panels, and lintels. Besides insulating capability, one of AAC's advantages in construction is its quick and easy installation since the material can be routed, sanded and cut to size on site using standard carbon steel band saws, hand saws and drills.

Recent regulation IEC 60335-1 ed.4 (2008) was introduced for materials used in electric appliance, establishing new limits in Glow Wire Ignition Temperature (GWIT) performance for materials used for electric connectors. Development of new products with high GWIT is possible, but the main issue is to keep good mechanical properties and processability, as well as tracking resistance (Comparative Tracking Index-CTI). Only a

To assess the fire resistance of historical buildings, information is needed about the applied materials, the construction details, etc. Starting from this information calculation models can be set up to determine the fire resistance of the total structure and its components. Assessing cast iron framed buildings is difficult because cast iron as well as the former construction techniques are no

On Tuesday April 28, 2009 a report for BBC displayed an interview with a Palestinian citizen rebuilt his destroyed house with mud brick and mentioned that, it is a shame to live in a mud house at this age. The researcher was struck by this interview which led to work on this research. Due to the siege, the Palestinians lost the hope to reconstruct their destroyed homes, public buildings and infrastructure. Building with mud bricks as a thermal insulation and environmentally friendly method, works as a fire resistant, sound proof and can be entirely chemical free. It is cheaper; 80 m2 house made of cement would cost around 16,000 dollars at least, but a mud one with local materials cost just 3,000 dollars. Best of all, it can be made on site in any shape, color or size, made of a mixture of clay, mud, sand, and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mud bricks fulfill the compressive strength and heat conductivity requirements. It also keeps indoor temperatures stationary during the summer and winter as a thermal insulation method. It is a traditional building material in much of the Middle East, India, North Africa and the majority of the Islamic cities buildings. Recently, there have been attempts to revive the use of mud brick through special projects such as those instigated by Hassan Fathy in Egypt, the beautiful Cob House on Mayne Island, Canada, etc. The mud bricks aim to save energy. The energy crisis experienced in the past have shifted the focus of the economical gain to energy saving. The research will display all the successful methods of building with mud bricks in order to extract different recommendations from it .this will be a guide for anyone who want to build his own house in a wonderful form, shape, style and colors. Besides different recommendations for the governmental institutions to encourage the citizens to reconstruct their homes by this method and construct models of mud houses to teach the citizens how to build their own homes? Finally, earthen structures are cheap, environmentally friendly and it is not a shame to live in a mud house but it is a global trend to preserve and to protect the environment.

Composite truss and composite beam systems have recently been widely applied in long- span multi-storey floor construction. In a fire resistance design according to BS5950 Part 8, two alternative calculation approaches, a limiting temperature method and a moment capacity method, are used to assess the fire resistance of composite structures. The in-fire performance of the structures and insulation materials are

Expanded perlite is a porous, lightweight, fire resistant and moisture retaining material with sound and thermal insulation properties. In this research, acoustical behaviour of plates made of expanded perlite was studied experimentally. Since these plates are used for sound absorption, the acoustical parameter selected for this study is “sound absorption coefficient”. Preliminary experiments indicated that moisture reduced the sound absorption coefficient on plates and there is not much significant difference between the dry and 50% humid conditions. However, there is a significant difference in acoustical properties for the 50–95% humid conditions. Thus, this interval was studied in detail. A number of expanded perlite plates having different mixtures were prepared and tested. It was observed that, coating the expanded perlite particles with sodium silicate increased the moisture resistance, and the addition of mineral fibres into the mixtures increased the strength and sound absorption coefficient of the plates.

Fire is considered to be a major threat for buildings and its surroundings. Fire can be occurred at any stage of construction and the time or intensity cannot be predicted earlier. Concrete encased composite beams are those in which structural steel is fully covered by concrete. Concrete is considered to be a fire resistant material to an extent. So by providing concrete as cover to the structural member the fire resistance of the member can be improved. But as the temperature increases there will be spalling of concrete and steel get exposed to more fire. In order to identify the behaviour, finite element software Abaqus 6.10 is used in this study. Time temperature chart for the member is also plotted in this paper.