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Beam‐to‐column connections are of great significance as they noticeably influence the mechanical behavior of structures at ambient and elevated temperatures. Observations from full‐scale fire tests confirm that connections play an important role on the resistance time of structural components in fire. Because of the high cost of elevated temperature tests, adequate experimental data on a broad range of connections are not available. One type of such connections is the I‐beam‐to‐circular tubular leg connections in offshore oil/gas platform topsides. Considering the high risk of fire events in offshore oil/gas platforms, our study focuses on the structural behavior of this type of connection at elevated temperatures. Eleven small‐scale experimental tests were conducted on a uniplanar welded steel I‐beam‐to‐tubular chord connection with external diaphragms to investigate their fire resistance capacity. Local strengthening and partial thermal insulating were separately introduced to the connection components. The results show that the external diaphragms play a considerably more important role on the connection fire response as compared with that for the vertical stiffeners. It is also found that the degradations in the connections' stiffness at elevated temperature might be closely correlated with the classical thermomechanical data on steel material. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Previous researchers have tried to predict the response of different types of structures under elevated temperatures. The results are important in preventing the collapse of buildings in fire. Post-fire status of the structures is also of interest for ensuring the safety of rescue workers during the fire and in the post-fire situations. Determining the extent of the structural damage left behind a fire event is necessary to draw up adequate repair plans. Connections play an important role on the fire performance of different structures. Due to the high cost of fire tests, adequate experimental data about a broad range of connections is not available. A vulnerable type of such connections to fire is the weld connections between I-shape beams and cylindrical columns in oil platform topsides. Considering the high probability of fire in oil platforms, study of the behaviour of these connections at elevated temperatures and in the post-fire, is of great importance. In the current study, eight small scale experimental fire tests on welded connections between I-shape beams and cylindrical columns have been conducted. Four tests are aimed at investigating the structural performance of this connection at elevated temperature. In other tests, post-fire behaviour of these connections has been studied to investigate their residual structural strength.