An approach for calculating the failure loads of unprotected concrete filled steel columns exposed to fire

This paper deals with the development of an approach for evaluating the squash load and rigidity of unprotected concrete filled steel columns at elevated temperatures. The current approach of evaluating these properties is reviewed. It is shown that with a non-uniform temperature distribution, over the composite cross-section, the calculations for the squash load and rigidity are tedious in the current method. A simplified approach is proposed to evaluate the temperature distribution, squash load, and rigidity of composite columns. This approach is based on the model in Eurocode 4 and can conveniently be used to calculate the resistance to axial compression of a concrete filled steel column for any fire resistance time. The accuracy of the proposed approach is assessed by comparing the predicted strengths against the results of fire tests on concrete filled circular and square steel columns. The applicability of the proposed approach to a design situation is illustrated through a numerical example.