Structural Fire Loads—Theory and Principles

A complete guide to designing structures to better withstand the effects of fires of various growths

Structural Fire Loads: Theory and Principles combines the disciplines of structural engineering and fire protection engineering by offering a screening tool that can be used by engineers to perform preliminary assessments of fire as a load and its impact on structures. The book covers slow, medium, fast, and ultra-fast fire growth and fires in combination with seismic loads.

Neither the 2009 IBC nor ASCE-7 considers fire a structural design load in buildings when prescriptive resistive design methods are used. However, the ICC Performance Code for Building and Facilities requires that the structural integrity of a building be evaluated and maintained to limit fire impact. This practical guide bridges the gap between structural engineering and fire protection engineering when fire is considered a design load.

Structural Fire Loads features:

• Practical examples for fire protection and structural engineering design presented in a simple, step-by-step computational format
• Details on slow, medium, fast, and ultra-fast fire growth
• A Solutions Manual for equations presented in chapters 6 and 7
• NIST Best Practices and Surveys for Fire Loads
• A single source that outlines how fire impacts structures

Authoritative coverage:
Overview of Current Practice; Structural Fire Load and Computer Models; Differential Equations and Assumptions; Simplifications of Differential Equations; Fire Load and Severity of Fires; Structural Analysis and Design

Leo Razdolsky, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., has more than 45 years'' experience in structural engineering. His expertise includes high-rise and mid-rise building design, field inspections, and construction management. Specialty projects include stadiums, cable structures, exhibition halls and pavilions, power plants, cooling towers, and bridges. Dr. Razdolsky has been teaching various structural engineering courses at the University of Illiis at Chicago and rthwestern University for more than 15 years. For the past five years, he has been conducting research connected with the analytical methods of obtaining the structural fire load and high-rise building design subjected to abrmal fire conditions. Dr. Razdolsky is currently a member of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat''s (CTBUH''s) Fire & Safety Working Group.