Seminar - Li Guo-Qiang (Tongji University, Shanghai) - Behaviour of Restrained Steel Components in Fire
Friday 13 February 2009, 11.30 am - 12.30 pm
Civil Engineering Drawing Office
Behaviour of Restrained Steel Components in Fire
Li Guo-Qiang
Professor of Structural Engineering
College of Civil Engineering
Tongji University
1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092
P R China
Abstract:
Fire is one of the disastrous effects on steel structures. To understand the behavior of components in a steel structure subjected to fire is essential to the structural safety against fire. Considering that the component in a structure is normally restrained by the other neighbor components, the behavior of restrained steel compo-nents in fire is more meaningful than that of isolated steel components in fire. Comparing with the un-restrained or independent components, the thermal expansion effect have to be considered on the behavior of restrained components, which is in general harmful to the fire-resistance of steel components. However, the restrain is beneficial to pertain the capacity of restrained components with some deflection developed, which can release the thermal expansion effect. Obviously, the behavior of restrained steel components may be complicated. It is founded that the catenary action may be developed in a restrained beam and the bowing effect may be developed in a restrained column. In addition, the membrane action can also be regarded as a kind of restrained effect being able to develop in a slab. The theoretical models to simulate the behavior of restrained steel beams, steel columns and steel-concrete composite slabs in fire are proposed and the experi-mental verifications are presented.
Biographical Sketch
Professor Li’s research has been mainly in the area of hazard mitigation including wind-resistance, earthquake-resistance, fire-resistance and blast-resistance for steel structures. He has been in charge of more than 30 research projects funded respectively by Chinese Science and Technology Ministry, Construction Ministry, Education Ministry, Natural Science Foundation and Shanghai Science and Technology Committee. He has published 12 technical books and more than 369 journal papers relevant to his research topics. He developed physical models and practical approach for analysis of behavior and failure of steel structures subjected to wind, earthquakes, fire and explosion, which has been adopted in Chinese codes for the safety of steel structures and has some impact in the community of steel construction worldwide. He is currently a professor of structural engineering at the College of Civil Engineering in Tongji University, and also a vice-chairman of China Association of Steel Construction and the Chairman of China Association for Fire-Resistance of Steel Construction.