Behavior of high strength fly ash concrete columns under fire conditions

Fly ash concrete is finding increasing applications in construction; however there is lack of data on fire performance of fly ash concrete structural members. This paper presents results from fire resistance tests on fly ash concrete columns. Data generated from tests on high strength fly ash concrete columns is compared with those of conventional high strength concrete (HSC) columns. The effect of concrete type, fire exposure scenario, fly ash, and fibers in concrete mix on fire performance of fly ash concrete columns is discussed. Results from fire resistance tests show that fly ash concrete columns exhibit almost similar fire resistance to that of conventional HSC columns. Further, the addition of polypropylene fibers mitigates fire induced spalling in high strength fly ash concrete columns.