Finite Element Modelling of the Fire Resistance of Double Skin Composite Walls Subjected to Monotonic Compressive Loading

Abstract

The fire resistance of double skin composite wall (DSCW) system composed of two profiled steel sheets and concrete infill is investigated through use of finite element (FE) methods. The fire resistance of DSCW when exposed to elevated temperature and a constant axial compressive load with different infill materials such as self-consolidating concrete (SCC), engineered cementitious concrete (ECC) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is investigated. The influence of parameters such as load level, thickness of steel sheets, depth of concrete core and fastener arrangement on the fire resistance of the DSCW are established. The performance of SCC-based DSCW has the best fire resistance followed by ECC and UHPC-based composite walls. The increase in load level decreases the fire resistance while the increase in depth of concrete infill increases the fire resistance of the composite wall. The fastener arrangement and steel thickness have no significant influence on the resulting fire resistance.