Sensitivity analysis of heat transfer formulations for insulated structural steel components

• Published in: Fire safety journal Vol. 38; no. 2; pp. 187 - 201
• Main Authors: Wong, M.B., Ghojel, J.I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building structure; Building technical equipments; Buildings; Buildings. Public works; Computation methods. Tables. Charts; Construction (buildings and works); Exact sciences and technology; Fire behavior of materials and structures; Fire engineering; Fire protection; heat transfer; insulation; Metal structure; steel structures; Structural analysis. Stresses; thermal conductivity; steel structures; thermal conductivity; Fire engineering; heat transfer; fire protection; insulation; Metallic structure; Temperature; Sensitivity analysis; Thermal insulation; Steel; Forecast model; Fire protection; Thickness; Thermal resistance; Thermal conductivity; Properties of materials; Numerical simulation; Concrete; Analytical solution; Heat transfer
• ISSN: 0379-7112
• DOI: 10.1016/S0379-7112(02)00057-7

The aim of using fire protection in a building is to reduce the rate of temperature rise of its structural components in case of fire. For protected structural steel, the thermal properties of the insulation materials affect the rate of temperature rise and are crucial in determining the minimum requirements for fire safety for both the steel and the insulation materials. The determination of the required thickness of the insulation materials can be performed by means of test results, analytical solutions or numerical methods. The current Eurocode 3 provides simple analytical solutions for estimating the temperature rise of both protected and unprotected structural steel in a fire. This paper presents a sensitivity analysis to examine the appropriateness of using these analytical solutions for structural steel components protected with insulation materials of contrasting properties including thermal conductivity and density. Results of the analysis show that, for certain types of insulation materials, the temperatures predicted by the Eurocode may differ substantially from those by exact analytical solution. An alternative formulation is presented when these types of insulation materials are used for fire protection of structural steel.