Effect of local instability on fire response of steel beams

Purpose: This purpose of this paper is to quantify the effect of local instability arising from high shear loading on response of steel girders subjected to fire conditions. Design/methodology/approach: A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model able to evaluate behavior of fire-exposed steel girders is developed. This model, is capable of predicting fire response of steel girders taking into consideration flexural, shear and deflection limit states. Findings: Results obtained from numerical studies show that shear capacity can degrade at a higher pace than flexural capacity under certain loading scenarios, and hence, failure can result from shear effects prior to attaining failure in flexural mode. Originality/value: The developed model is unique and provides valuable insight (and information) to the fire response of typical hot-rolled steel girder subjected to high shear loading.