Performance-Based Fire Engineering of Structures

Major events—notably the Broadgate fire in London, New York’s World Trade Center collapse, and the Windsor Tower fire in Madrid—as well as the enlightening studies at the Cardington fire research project have given international prominence to performance-based structural fire engineering. As a result, structural fire engineering has increasingly attracted the interest not only of fire and structural engineers but also of researchers and students. And studies in recent years have generated a vast number of findings.
Performance-Based Fire Engineering of Structures summarizes the latest knowledge on performance-based approaches to structural fire engineering, enabling readers to critically assess research in the field. Whereas most recent books have been mainly concerned with dissemination of principles encapsulated in established codes of practice such as the Eurocodes, this work addresses in depth:



Global structural behaviour and modelling
Progressive collapse of structures in fire and the importance of connection robustness
The integrity of compartmentation in fire
Structural fire engineering under realistic fire conditions and its implications for material properties
The limitations of research results and design methods
The unexploited potential for advanced fire engineering design


This authoritative book draws on the work of internationally active researchers who were core members of the European Network project’s COST C26 working group on fire resistance. It helps readers develop a thorough understanding of how to use advanced fire engineering design to improve structural safety and reduce construction costs.

Yong Wang is Professor of Structural and Fire Engineering at the University of Manchester, UK, and is the author of Steel and Composite Structures: Behaviour and Design for Fire Safety, also published by Taylor & Francis.
Ian Burgess is Professor of Structural Engineering and former Head of the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering at the University of Sheffield, UK.
František Wald is a Professor and Head of the Department of Steel and Timber Structures at the Czech Technical University in Prague.
Martin Gillie is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

Introduction to Fire Safety Engineering and the Role of Structural Fire EngineeringIntroduction to fire engineeringRoles of structural fire resistanceThe process of performance-based fire engineering of structuresIntroduction to the book

Recent Major Structural Fire Events and Their ImplicationsIntroductionBroadgate fire, London, 1990Cardington fire research programme, 1994–2003World Trade Center collapses, 11 September 2001Windsor Tower fire, Madrid, 12 February 2005Summary and context of this book
Introduction to Enclosure Fire DynamicsIntroductionStandard firesFires in small compartmentsFires in large compartments and travelling firesComputer models of compartment fires
Heat TransferIntroductionBasics of heat transferConvective heat transfer coefficientsRadiant heat transfer coefficientSome simplified solutions for heat transferImportance of using appropriate thermal properties of materialsEffects of thermal boundary conditionsBrief introduction to numerical analysis of heat transferConcluding remarks
Material PropertiesIntroductionStructural materialsFire protection materialsConcluding remarks
Element Structural Fire Resistance DesignDesign principlesConcrete structuresSteel structuresComposite steel and concrete structuresTimber structuresMasonry structuresAluminium structuresFire resistance design worked examples
Global Modelling of Structures in FireIntroductionNature of global structural behaviour in fireAnalytical methods for structures in firePractical modelling techniques
Steel and Composite JointsIntroductionTypical joints at ambient temperature and in fireCurrent designDevelopment of performance-based approaches
Integrity of CompartmentationIntroductionIssues affecting internal wallsDesign of slabs for integrity in fire
Robustness of Structures in FireIntroductionCauses of fire-induced disproportionate collapseDesign strategiesCatenary actionRequirements for connectionsOther considerationsSummary

The Practical Application of Structural Fire Engineering for a Retail Development in the United KingdomIntroductionMethodologyDesign firesAcceptance criteriaFinite element analysesSteel beam connectionsSimplified methodsComparison between Vulcan and simplified methodsConclusions

References