Concrete Temperatures

During Fire
Elin Jensen and Jacob Van Horn

SFPE’s Engineering Technology Conference

October 19-20, 2009

1
Motivation

Advance performance-based analysis

and design of structures throughout the
entire fire.

Mechanistic based analysis and design

method established

2
Motivation

 Advance performance based design for

structural fire safety
 assess the probability of failure in the event of fire.
 quantify (and reduce) variability and arbitrariness in
performance for structures designed to the same
set of rules.
 Key variables
 Fire
 Material thermal properties
 Material physical properties

3
Objectives

 Evaluate the performance of new fire/load test

facility

 Evaluate the uncertainty of measured concrete

temperatures during laboratory simulated fires

 Evaluate the concrete thermal properties and

the fire chamber characteristics

4
Overview

 Test Methodology

 Concrete Temperatures
 Profiles in Concrete

 Uncertainty in Temperature Measurements

 Predicted Thermal Properties of Concrete

5
Test Facility
Center for Innovative Materials Research

6
Gas Temperature and Fire Duration

Design Fires

1500
Temperature (C)

1000

500

0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

Duration (h)

Progressive Burning - Fire B ASTM E119

High Intensity Fire A Modified High Intensity Fire A

7
Measuring the Thermal Impact
(Environmental)
R-type thermo-couples in thin-walled mullite rods above specimen

K-type thermocouples in steel columns below and at the sides of

the specimen

8
ASTM E119 Temperature-Time

Accuracy of Furnace Control -

Area under Temperature-Time Curve - 2 hour test

2000
Final Core Temperature = 460

1600

1200
C-h

800
Final Core Temperature: 420 C
400

0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
Duration (hour)

Slab A Lower limit Upper limit Slab B

9
Measuring the Thermal Impact

Plate Thermo-couples

Inconnel 600 steel Ceramic

K-type thermocouple

10
Measuring Internal Temperatures
K-type embedded in concrete

11
Overview

 Test Methodology

 Concrete Temperatures
 Profiles in Concrete

 Uncertainty in Temperature Measurements

 Predicted Thermal Properties of Concrete

12
Slab Subjected to ASTM E119
Temperature-Time Profile

13
Slab Subjected to ASTM E119
Temperature-Time Profile
Length/Width: 1.98 m
Thickness: 12.5 cm
PCC Strength: 32 MPa
Age: 4 years
RH at core:
74-77% at Tair =25°C

14
Slab Subjected to ASTM E119
Temperature Development
Temperature Development in slab

1200

Surface
Temperature (degree C)

800

h/4=31mm
400

h/2=62.5mm

0
0 1 2 3 4

Duration (h)

Test: Slab B 15
Uncertainty in Measured
Temperatures
Slab Temperature versus Time
(ASTM E119; Small RC Slab)

1000
ASTM E119 Design Fire

800 SURFACE
Variation ~15%
Temperature (C)

600 Shaded Areas:

Average (+-) 1x stdev
Variation ~5%
400
CORE

200

0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
Fire Duration (h)

16
Concrete Temperature in T-beams
Sections with thermocouples

17
T-beam Section Information

Length: 3.99 m
Strength: 48 MPa
Age: 9 months
RH at core ~ 85% at 25 °C

18
T-beam subjected to ASTM E119
Temperature Development
Temperature Development in T-Beam (Standard Fire)

1000
Temperature near surface
Temperature (C)

750

500

250
Temperature at core of bulb and top of T- section

0
0 1 2 3 4
Duration (h)

19
Uncertainty in Measured
Temperatures
T- beam Temperature vs. Time
ASTM E119

1300

1100 ASTM E119 Design Fire

900
Variation ~12%
Temperature (C)

Surface
700 Variation ~12%
Core
500

300

100

-100 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Fire Duration (h)

20
T-beam subjected to High Intensity
Temperature-Time Profile
Temperature Development in T-beam (Fire A)
1000

Temperature near surface

750
Temperature (C)

500

250

Temperature at core of bulb and core of top section

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Duration (h)

21
Uncertainty in Measured
Temperatures
T-beam Temperature vs. Time
High Intensity Fire
1200
High Intensity Fire
1000
Temperature ( C )

Surface
800

600
Variation~7.5%
400
Variation~2.75%
Core
200

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Fire Duration (h)

22
T-beam subjected to Progressive
Burning Temperature-Time Profile
Temperature Development in T-beam (Progressive Burning)
1400

1200

1000
Temperature (deg C)

Temperature near surface

800

600

400

200
Temperature at core of bulb and core of top section

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Time (h)

23
Uncertainty in Measured
Temperatures
T-beam Temperature vs. Time Progressive Burn
1200

Progressive Burn
1000
Surface
Temperature ( C )

800

Variation~23%
600

Variation~8.5%
400

200
Core

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2

Time (h)

Additional testing required 24

Overview

 Test Methodology

 Concrete Temperatures
 Profiles in Concrete

 Uncertainty in Temperature Measurements

 Predicted Thermal Properties of Concrete

25
Temperatures during Slab Testing
1200
Near Specimen Fire
Temperature
Temperature (C)

800

Surface

Core
400

0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0
Duration (h)

Measured

26
Transient Heat Transfer Analysis

 Heat flux (thermal impact)

 Convection coefficient, h = 25 W/m2*K
 Resultant emissivity, ε = 0.2

 Thermal properties of concrete (20 – 1000°C)

 Thermal conductivity, k = 0.8 - 1.4 W/mK
 Specific heat, cp = 1,100 → 880 → 700 J/kgK

27
Predicted & Measured Temperatures
Concrete Slab
1200
Near Specimen Fire For this experiment:
Temperature 0 – 200 °C ∆T at core
Temperature (C)

800

Surface

Core
400

Convection coefficient: 25 W/m2K

Resultant Emissivity: 0.2
0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0
Duration (h)

Measured k=1.1 & cp=880

k=0.8 & cp=880 k=1.4 & cp=880

28
Why is this significant?

Reduction in Concrete Property with Temperature

120

100
%Strength or %Stiffness

Compressive Strength
80

60
Elastic Modulus

40

20
about 20% reduction per 100 ° C
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Temperature (C)

29
Optimized Thermal Properties
1200
1.6 Near Specimen Fire 1600
Temperature
Thermal Conductivity

Specific Heat (J/kgK)

1.2 1200
(W/mK) (C)

800
Temperature

Surface
0.8 800
Core
400
0.4 400
Estimated Thermal Properties
Convection coefficient: 25 W/m2K
0.0 0
Resultant Emissivity: 0.2
0 0 200 400 600 800 1000
0.0 1.0 2.0 (C)
Temperature 3.0 4.0
Duration (h)
Specific Heat Conductivity
Measured Predicted

30
Temperature Response of T-beams

Design Fires

1500
Temperature (C)

1000

500

0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

Duration (h)

Progressive Burning - Fire B ASTM E119

High Intensity Fire A Modified High Intensity Fire A

31
Predicted Thermal Properties of
T-beam (ASTM E119)
ASTM E119

1200
Surface (top and bottom of beam)
1000
Temperature (C)

800

600

Core (top & bottom of beam)

400

200

0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
Duration (h)
Measured Predicted

32
Predicted Thermal Properties of T-beam
(ASTM E119) using SAFIR 2007

75 min 150 min

225 min

33
Predicted Thermal Properties of T-beam
(High Intensity Fire)
Short Duration High Intensity Fire
1200
Surface (top and bottom of beam)
1000
Temperature (C)

800

600

400

200
Core (top and bottom of beam)
0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
Duration (h)
Measured Predicted

34
Predicted Thermal Properties of T-beam
(High Intensity Fire) using SAFIR 2007

30 min
60 min

90 min 120 min

35
Predicted Thermal Properties of T-beam
(Progressive Burn)
Progressive Burning

1200
Surface (top of beam)
1000
Temperature (C)

800

600

400

200
Core (top & bottom of beam)
0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
Duration (h)
Measured Predicted

36
Predicted Thermal Properties of T-beam
(Progressive Burn) using GID-SAFIR 2007

30 min 60 min

90 min 120 min

37
Summary

 Design fires representing real fires were

successfully developed and achieved in
the fire chamber with small and
moderate concrete volumes.

 Post-construction installation of
thermocouples yielded reliable results as
verified from temperature readings at
multiple repeated positions.

38
Summary

 The variance of core temperatures ranged from

3 to 12 % and for surface temperatures ranged
from 7 to 23 %.
 assumed normal distribution of concrete
temperatures and limited data series

 Including the temperature effect on the concrete

thermal properties is critical in order to
adequately estimate the temperature
development during fire.

39
Research Direction

 Determine the statistical distribution for

environmental as well as specimen surface and
internal temperatures during the fire

 Determine statistical distribution for concrete

behavior during fire

40
Acknowledgements

Support from

 National Science Foundation Award #0747775

 Center for Innovative Material Research

(CIMR at Lawrence Tech)

 Student assistants:
 Andrew Hermiz
 Daniel Ziemba
 Cody Telgheder

41