This paper deals with the description of tests on concrete subjected to a high temperature and then cooled in two ways. Two series of cylinder specimens (103 mm in diameter, 200 mm in height) made of concrete C25/30 and C40/50 were tested. Specimens were heated in the electric furnace to 270, 370 and 500 o C. After heating, some of specimens were left in the open air and some of them were put in water for 10 sec and then left in the open air. Next day the compressive strength of concrete was tested. Test results are presented. In addition, the paper includes some test results taken from the literature.

The paper presents results of experimental research whose main topic was determination of stiffness reduction in bent reinforced concrete beams in two cases: when only tensioned or only compressed zone was exposed to high temperature. Twenty four reinforced concrete beams with rectangular cross-section were prepared for the experiment. Eight groups of beams were prepared in total: 2 with reinforcement ratio - 0.44 and 1.13% x 2 levels of load - 50 or 70% of destructive force ensuring the constant value of bending moment in the centre part of heated beams x 2 static schemes. Three beams were used in each group. Significant cross-section stiffness reduction was observed in beams where the tensile zone was heated. This was due to considerable elongation of the bars where the steel load elongation summed up with the free thermal strain. In beams where the compressed zone was heated the stiffness reduction was observed only after the time where the tensile zone heated cross-sections were already destroyed.

When multi-span RC elements are exposed to fire one usually observes a yielding of span cross-sections while a safety reserve of support cross-sections is still significant. Due to this phenomenon a redistribution of bending moments occurs and the values of sagging moment in span cross-sections decrease while the values of hogging moment in support cross-sections increase. This paper shows the results of tests conducted on two-span RC beams in a situation when only one span has been exposed to high temperature from the bottom. The beams were 12×16 cm in their cross-section. The length of the span was 165 cm. The load has been applied by two forces put on each span. The beams were made of C25/30 concrete with siliceous aggregate. As a result of significant stiffness decrease of the heated span, redistribution of shear forces and bending moment occurs. Due to this redistribution the tested beams were prematurely damaged due to exhaust of the shear load bearing capacity in the middle part of the beam span where there was no transverse reinforcement.

An important issue in advanced analysis of reinforced concrete structures exposed to fire is to determine the response of structural elements (cross-sections) to the effect of high temperature. The unsteady heat flow results in a nonlinear temperature distribution. In practical structural calculations performed by simplified computer programs the average temperature value and the appropriate temperature gradient are used. This paper presents substitute values of these parameters and detailed analysis of nonlinear temperature distribution in 20, 25, 30 cm thick reinforced concrete slabs exposed to one-sided standard fire.

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