Performance of Concrete Floors Exposed to Real Fires

Methods are currently available for the design of concrete floors and beams to resist collapse when exposed to fire. However, such methods are based on results and temperatures obtained from standard fire resistance tests. There is a need to develop appropriate thermal fire design data reflecting temperature distributions within concrete floors and beams when exposed to non- standard or "real" fires.This paper presents results obtained by using finite element numerical methods giving estimated temperatures within concrete elements as a function of concrete depth (cover), fire load density and compartment opening factor. An indication of how this data may be used in conjunction with current design methods is also given.