Structural Response of Aluminium T-Stub Connections at Elevated Temperatures and Fire

Abstract:

Many aluminium structures contain welded and bolted connections that are modeled as one or more equivalent T-stubs – also referred to as tension zone components – for the structural assessment. Knowledge on the structural behavior of such T-stubs is thus essential for proper designs. However, this behavior has never been checked for fire conditions. In this paper, the structural behavior of aluminium T-stubs exposed to fire is studied through a combination of tests, finite element simulations, and theoretical models. A safe and conservative assessment procedure is developed for determining the critical temperature, based on the material deterioration as a function of temperature. This enables engineers and practitioners to determine a conservative value of the fire resistance.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 710)
• Pages: 127-136
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.710.127
• Online since: September 2016
• Authors: Johan Maljaars*, Gianfranco De Matteis
• Keywords: Aluminium Alloys, Connection, Fire Design, Fire Resistance, Joint, Tension-Zone Component, T-Stub

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