Enhancing the fire performance of concrete-filled steel columns through system-level analysis

The use of concrete filling offers a practical alternative for achieving the required stability of steel Hollow Structural Section (HSS) columns under fire conditions. However, current methods for evaluating fire resistance of Concrete Filled Hollow Structural Steel (CFHSS) columns are highly conservative as they are based on an elemental approach without due consideration to structural interactions that occur in framed structural systems. To overcome this limitation, a system level fire resistance analysis was carried out by treating CFHSS columns as part of an overall structural frame. In this analysis, an eight story steel-framed building was modeled under a range of standard and performance-based fire scenarios (including multi-story progressive burn-out fires) to evaluate the contribution of various structural members/assemblies to overall fire resistance. One of the primary factors considered was the use of concrete filling in HSS columns as an alternative to standard W-shape columns. Results from the analysis indicate that the use of CFHSS columns, in place of W-shape columns, in a performance-based environment can fully eliminate the need for applied fire protection to columns, while providing the required level of structural fire resistance.