This tool calculates the axial capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) columns exposed to standard fire on all four sides. It offers details such as average temperature distribution, average stress profiles across the column height, and the resulting axial capacity. For further information on the assumptions and limitations, please refer to the publication by EL Fitiany and Youssef. The tool is distributed as an executable file that opens in Excel, and examples of its use are available in the provided “Examples” file. Please get in touch with us for more information on additional tools.
Salah F. El-Fitiany, Maged A. Youssef, 2018, “Practical method to predict the axial capacity of RC columns exposed to standard fire“, Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1108/JSFE-08-2016-0015. Existing analytical methods for the evaluation of fire safety of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures require extensive knowledge of heat transfer calculations and the finite element method. This paper proposes a rational method to predict the axial capacity of RC columns exposed to standard fire. The average temperature distribution along the section height is first predicted for a specific fire scenario. The corresponding distribution of the reduced concrete strength is then integrated to develop expressions to calculate the axial capacity of RC columns exposed to fire from four faces. These expressions provide structural engineers with a rational tool to satisfy the objective-based design clauses specified in the National Code of Canada in lieu of the traditional prescriptive methods.
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