Publisher Summary The chapter presents results of a feasibility study to investigate the constraints to the practical application of catenary action in steel beams at high temperatures to eliminate fire protection to the steel beams. If a steel beam is axially restrained by an adjacent structure in fire, it is possible for the steel beam to develop catenary action, whereby the externally applied load in the beam is resisted by a tension force in the beam at large deflections instead of bending moment resistance of the beam. Under this circumstance, the steel beam has practically no limit in its capacity to resist high temperatures. Consequently, it is possible to eliminate fire protection to the steel beam. However, the realistic application of this load carrying mechanism is subjected to two important practical constraints.
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