Structural fire resistance - past, present and future

An overview is given of the past, present and future of the National Building Code of Canada in the area of structural fire resistance. Fire resistance testing conducted in the past, followed by the development of mathematical models, which are currently in use for the generation of fire resistance performance data for inclusion in the National Building Code of Canada, are discussed. An example of a formula for the determination of the fire resistance of concrete filled hollow steel columns, developed using the mathematical models, is given. The planned introduction of an objective-based code in Canada in the year 2001 and the expected approaches in this code for cost-effective fire resistance design are briefly discussed.