Temperature Distribution in a Steel Beam-to-Column Joint when Exposed to Fire. Part 1: End-Plate Joint

Temperature distribution usually observed in steel beam-to-column end-plate joint after 15 minutes of its standard fire exposure is presented and discussed in detail. Two types of joints are analysed for comparative purposes. The first one is a pure steel connection while the other is covered by a reinforced concrete slab. Numerical simulation of the considered joint heating scenario was performed using the 3D model in the ANSYS environment. Some results were additionally verified by simpler calculations carried out on 2D models using the SAFIR computer program. It is emphasized that due to the local accumulation of many massive steel plates the representative temperature values identified in particular joint components are significantly lower than those which at the same time are measured in beam and column outside the connection. This means that the classic assumption of even temperature over the entire length of all the structural elements of a frame load-bearing structure exposed to fire at any time during such fire, without distinguishing in the formal model any cooler nodal elements, is always safe but very conservative. In addition, as the fire develops the differentiation between the temperature values relating to the beam web and to the beam flanges becomes more visible. This effect is particularly significant in the presence of a massive floor slab adjacent the upper flange of a frame I-beam which effectively cools it.