A SIMPLE APPROACH TO THE BEHAVIOR OF STEEL COLUMNS IN FIRE

An analytical approach based on simple 'Perry-Robertson' principles has been developed to investigate the behaviour of steel columns in fire conditions. The treatment is intended for approximate prediction of failure temperatures for such members, and is consistent with the rationalisations of column behaviour made in current codes of practice. It also has the conceptual advantage of providing a good qualitative description of the behaviour itself, allowing the parameters which affect columns in fire to be easily separated out and their influences to be studied. The Perry approach is tested against previous analytical and test results. It is then used to predict failure temperatures for a limited range of isolated column examples, and the results are compared with existing test results and with current design assumptions.