Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

The first part of this paper represents an experimental investigation on explosive spalling and deformation of 6 full-scale simply supported reinforced concrete slabs subjected to conventional fire curve (BS476) and severe hydrocarbon fire curve, performed at the Fire Research Centre, University of Ulster, UK. Each slab was loaded with 65% of its BS8110 design load and was heated from the bottom side only. Temperature profile was recorded at 3 depths within the slabs and the moisture content was also measured before and after the tests. The deflection of the slabs was recorded at the middle of the 3 meters span. The second part of the paper represents a Finite Element Modelling of the slabs using DIANA software. The concrete slabs were modelled including the embedded reinforcement to conduct a non-linear transient structural analysis taking into account cracks appearance and creep. A comparison between the experimental and the FEM results is presented in the paper.