Hybrid Simulation Method for a Structure Subjected to Fire and Its Application to a Steel Frame

Abstract

This paper presents a hybrid fire simulation method for civil structures in which a critical element subject to fire is experimentally tested while the remaining structural system is numerically analyzed simultaneously. The proposed method is different from previous approaches in that it is fully validated with full-scale specimen subjected to high temperature and that it is an automated displacement controlled test with deformation error compensation. The two substructures (i.e., an experimental model and a numerical model) are integrated through network to enforce displacement compatibility and force equilibrium. Then, the developed simulation method is applied to a fire simulation of a steel moment resisting frame where one of the columns is assumed to be under temperature load following ISO 834-11:214 fire curve. The results show that the proposed hybrid simulation method can replicate the numerical prediction, and thus can be applied to more challenging structural systems such as the structural behavior under fire load, which is computationally difficult using numerical models.