Behaviour and design of stainless steel structures in fire
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Warwick
Department Name: Sch of Engineering
Abstract
Owing to its unique combination of excellent corrosion resistance, low maintenance requirements and high performance in fire and under impact loading, stainless steel manifests itself an appropriate and advantageous construction material for projects where corrosion resistance, durability, maintenance costs or resistance to fire or extreme loading are of importance. Stainless steel is also highly recyclable and reusable, making it a sustainable construction material. Traditionally, due to its initial high material cost, stainless steel has been regarded as an option limited to specialist and prestige applications. However, with increased awareness on whole life-cycle costing and sustainability, rather than simply initial expenditure, the use of stainless steel in the construction and offshore industries has been increasing.
At elevated temperatures, stainless steel displays higher strength and stiffness retention relative to carbon steel with different material stress-strain response, leading to considerably enhanced structural performance for stainless steel structural elements relative to those made of carbon steel in fire. However, thus far, this high performance of stainless steel structural elements in fire has been neither scientifically well explored, nor has a design guidance leading to its efficient exploitation been developed. In fact, the current British and European structural steel fire design standard Eurocode 3 Part 1.2 recommends the design methods originally developed for carbon steel members for the fire design of stainless steel structural members. This unsurprisingly leads to very inaccurate estimations of the response of stainless steel structures in fire, precluding the efficient use of their high performance at elevated temperatures by structural engineers in practice. For projects where thermal protection is not used to showcase the attractive appearance of stainless steel, inefficient fire design rules, which may govern cross-section sizes, lead to excessive material use and thus very uneconomic solutions.
With the aim of achieving a step-change in understanding the response of stainless steel structural elements at elevated temperatures and in their fire design, the proposed research will involve comprehensive numerical studies on the behaviour of stainless steel structural elements in fire and lead to the development of statistically validated design guidance able to exploit the high performance of stainless steel structures at elevated temperatures. The proposed research will not only consider structural elements made of traditional stainless steel grades but also those made of a number of novel, cost-effective and high performance stainless steel grades recently introduced into the market for structural engineering applications; for the first time, elevated temperature material tests will be carried out on these stainless steel grades in this project. Possessing a number of novel aspects such as involving the first comprehensive investigations on the response of stainless steel plates, sections, columns and beams in fire and the elevated temperature material tests on new stainless steel grades whose elevated temperature material properties are unknown, it is envisaged that the proposed project will fill an important gap of knowledge with respect to the behaviour and design of stainless steel structures in fire. In this project, all the design guidance will be prepared adopting the Eurocode 3 Part 1.2 philosophy; it is anticipated that the project will generate design methods suitable for incorporation into the future versions of Eurocode 3 Part 1.2.
At elevated temperatures, stainless steel displays higher strength and stiffness retention relative to carbon steel with different material stress-strain response, leading to considerably enhanced structural performance for stainless steel structural elements relative to those made of carbon steel in fire. However, thus far, this high performance of stainless steel structural elements in fire has been neither scientifically well explored, nor has a design guidance leading to its efficient exploitation been developed. In fact, the current British and European structural steel fire design standard Eurocode 3 Part 1.2 recommends the design methods originally developed for carbon steel members for the fire design of stainless steel structural members. This unsurprisingly leads to very inaccurate estimations of the response of stainless steel structures in fire, precluding the efficient use of their high performance at elevated temperatures by structural engineers in practice. For projects where thermal protection is not used to showcase the attractive appearance of stainless steel, inefficient fire design rules, which may govern cross-section sizes, lead to excessive material use and thus very uneconomic solutions.
With the aim of achieving a step-change in understanding the response of stainless steel structural elements at elevated temperatures and in their fire design, the proposed research will involve comprehensive numerical studies on the behaviour of stainless steel structural elements in fire and lead to the development of statistically validated design guidance able to exploit the high performance of stainless steel structures at elevated temperatures. The proposed research will not only consider structural elements made of traditional stainless steel grades but also those made of a number of novel, cost-effective and high performance stainless steel grades recently introduced into the market for structural engineering applications; for the first time, elevated temperature material tests will be carried out on these stainless steel grades in this project. Possessing a number of novel aspects such as involving the first comprehensive investigations on the response of stainless steel plates, sections, columns and beams in fire and the elevated temperature material tests on new stainless steel grades whose elevated temperature material properties are unknown, it is envisaged that the proposed project will fill an important gap of knowledge with respect to the behaviour and design of stainless steel structures in fire. In this project, all the design guidance will be prepared adopting the Eurocode 3 Part 1.2 philosophy; it is anticipated that the project will generate design methods suitable for incorporation into the future versions of Eurocode 3 Part 1.2.
Publications
Kucukler M
(2023)
Shear resistance and design of stainless steel plate girders in fire
in Engineering Structures
Kucukler M
(2025)
Stainless steel I-section beams at elevated temperatures: Lateral-torsional buckling behaviour and design
in Thin-Walled Structures
Kucukler M.
(2024)
Fire design of carbon steel and stainless steel structural members by GMNIA with strain limits
in Proceedings of the Annual Stability Conference Structural Stability Research Council, SSRC 2024
Quan C
(2024)
Design of stainless steel SHS and RHS columns in fire by GMNIA with strain limits
in Engineering Structures
Quan C
(2023)
Cross-section resistance and design of stainless steel CHS and EHS at elevated temperatures
in Engineering Structures
Quan C
(2023)
Structural response and design of stainless steel hollow section columns at elevated temperatures
in ce/papers
Quan C
(2023)
Stability and design of stainless steel hollow section columns at elevated temperatures
in Engineering Structures
Quan C
(2023)
Simulation and cross-section resistance of stainless steel SHS and RHS at elevated temperatures
in Thin-Walled Structures
Quan C
(2023)
Local buckling response and design of stainless steel hollow sections at elevated temperatures
in ce/papers
| Description | Prior to the start of this project, the behaviour and design of stainless steel structures in fire have not been explored extensively. This is evident from the fact that the current British and European structural steel fire design standard BS EN 1993-1-2 simply recommends the use of fire design rules originally developed for carbon steel structures for the fire design of stainless steel structures. In this project, it has been explicitly shown that the use of the fire design rules of BS EN 1993-1-2 recommended for stainless steel structures but originally developed for carbon steel structures leads to quite inaccurate estimations of the behaviour of stainless steel structures in fire. Thus, an extensive and systematic research study has been carried out in this project to (i) comprehensively investigate and understand the behaviour of stainless steel structures in fire and (ii) develop new fire design rules for stainless steel structures that lead to very accurate estimations of their behaviour at elevated temperatures. In addition to conventional stainless steel grades widely used for stainless steel structures, novel, cost-effective and high performance stainless steel grades recently introduced to the construction and offshore industries are also considered. The key findings which did not exist before and achievements of the project include: (i) Generation of extensive data on the elevated temperature material properties of novel, cost-effective and high performance stainless steel grades recently introduced to the construction and offshore industries through a comprehensive elevated temperature material testing campaign as well as the establishment of elevated temperature material models to accurately represent their elevated temperature material behaviour. (ii) Development of advanced nonlinear finite element models of stainless steel structural elements that are able to very accurately replicate their behaviour at elevated temperatures and validation of these numerical models against existing experimental data. (iii) Generation of very extensive structural performance data for the cross-section behaviour and member behaviour of stainless steel structural elements in fire, considering various cross-section geometries, member slendernesses and different elevated temperature levels and fire scenarios. (iii) Establishment and verification of new, accurate and consistent fire design rules for the cross-section design of stainless steel square hollow section (SHS), rectangular hollow section (RHS), circular hollow section (CHS) and elliptical hollow section (EHS) members when subjected to pure axial compression, pure bending, shear, combined axial compression and bending and combined bending and shear. (iv) Establishment of new fire design rules for stainless steel columns and beams with various cross-section geometries, which lead to very accurate estimations of their behaviour in fire and are able to consider various buckling cases that can be experienced in fire as well as different fire scenarios. (v) Through the collaboration with the industrial partners, presentations in conferences and publications, extensive dissemination of the findings of the project. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes of this project can be taken forward and put to use by others through the following ways: (i) This project established new, extensive and very accurate fire design rules for stainless steel structures in accordance with the existing design philosophy of the British and European structural steel fire design standard BS EN 1993-1-2, which did not exist before. These new fire design rules can be used by the Subcommittee 3.2 (SC3.2) of CEN/TC 250 working on the development of BS EN 1993-1-2 for incorporation into the future version of the standard. The Principal Investigator and SCI will present these rules to the SC3.2 of CEN/TC 250. (ii) This project generated a very high amount of experimental data on the elevated temperature material behaviour of novel grade 1.4420, 1.4547, 1.4410, 1.4622 stainless steels. These grades can be used in construction, aerospace, defence, manufacturing, transport and marine sectors and the elevated temperature material data generated in this project are of pivotal significance when structures, equipment or vehicles made of these stainless steel grades are subjected to high temperatures. (iii) This project developed advanced nonlinear finite element models of stainless steel structural elements that are able to very accurately replicate their structural response in fire as well as comprehensive benchmark structural performance data for stainless steel structures in fire. These comprehensive benchmark structural performance data and methods adopted in the development of the numerical models can be utilised by other researchers in the field to extend the fire design rules for stainless steel structures in this project and mimic the behaviour of stainless steel structural elements in fire. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Construction Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Transport |
| Description | Resilience and sustainability of the infrastructure are currently the primary drives of the UK construction industry. This research project has materially contributed to the achievement of the UK construction industry's targets in both of these areas. Stainless steel is a very sustainable construction material. Stainless steel structures have excellent corrosion resistance, very high durability, low maintenance requirements and high recyclability and reusability. These features make them very preferable for structures exposed to atmospheric conditions and harsh environments in the UK since the overall costs devoted during the lifetimes of this type of structures become lower when stainless steel is employed as a construction material relative to carbon steel even though the initial costs are higher. Additionally, stainless steel offers a significantly higher level of recyclability and reusability relative to conventional construction materials such as conventional carbon steel. In addition to the establishment of sustainable infrastructure, stainless steel structures also enable the establishment of resilient infrastructure in the UK owing the high performance of stainless steel in fire and under impact loading. Prior the commencement of this project, the fire behaviour and design of stainless steel structures had not been scientifically well explored, which was an impediment to the establishment of resilient and sustainable infrastructure in the UK using stainless steel as a construction material. There had not been a deep understanding of the structural response of stainless steel structural elements in fire. Due to the lack of understanding of the behaviour of stainless steel structures in fire, the current British and European structural steel fire design standard BS EN 1993-1-2 recommends the use of fire design provisions originally developed for carbon steel structures for stainless steel structures, which unsurprisingly lead to quite inaccurate estimations of the structural response of stainless steel structures in fire. Through comprehensive and systematic studies, this research project has brought about a significantly improved understanding of the behaviour of stainless steel structures in fire. This project reported this significantly improved understanding in high quality research papers published in top scientific journals in the structural engineering research area as well as in international academic conferences and seminars. In addition to the significantly improved understanding of the behaviour of stainless steel structures, the research project has also established new fire design provisions for stainless steel structures that lead to very accurate estimations of the response of stainless steel structures at elevated temperatures. The research project did not only focus on established and widely-used stainless steel grades but also considered novel, cost-effective and high-performance stainless steel grades introduced to the construction industry, leading to very efficient fire designs of structures for which conventional and novel stainless steel grades can be used. These achievements undoubtably offer significant contributions to the knowledge of the scientific community, professional engineers and consultants focusing on the behaviour and design of steel structures as well as to the stainless steel producers by increasing the attractiveness of stainless steel as a construction material. Stainless steel structures are typically exposed to fire without fire protection to manifest the attractive appearance of stainless steel, considering the high fire performance of stainless steel at elevated temperatures. Thus, it is likely that the fire design determines the cross-section sizes of structural elements in stainless steel structures. The current fire design rules existing in BS EN 1993-1-2 for stainless steel structures that were originally developed for carbon steel structures do not consider the improved performance of stainless steel structures in fire. Thus, the current BS EN 1993-1-2 provisions can lead to very inefficient and uneconomic designs of stainless steel structures, leading to the excessive consumptions of stainless steel which is an expensive construction material. This project has developed new fire design rules that lead to very efficient fire designs of stainless steel structures, thereby eliminating the excessive use of stainless steel for structures where the fire design determines the cross-section sizes which is not uncommon for stainless steel structures. This contribution undoubtably provides a significant economic advantage to the UK construction industry, considering the increasing use of stainless steel structures in the UK. This significant economic advantage is an important addition to the economic advantages achieved by the low maintenance requirements, very high durability and excellent recyclability and reusability of stainless steel structures, which also lead to the establishment of sustainable infrastructure in the UK. This project also contributed to the realisation of the marked advantages of stainless steel for the establishment of resilient infrastructure in the UK. Undoubtably, the project will contribute to the use of stainless steel for important public and private infrastructure in the UK that can be exposed to accidental and man-made disasters. This will bring about significant societal advantages, enabling the users of these structures to be safe and feel safe against these accidental and man-made disasters. Finally, the research project also enabled the high-level collaboration between the academic and industrial project partners which are the University of Warwick, Steel Construction Institute, Outokumpu and Arup. The industrial project partners will use the knowledge achieved in this project in the production, construction and design of stainless steel structures in the UK, which will also be picked up by other industrial stakeholders in the UK construction industry. The scientific advancements of the UK in the fire behaviour and design of stainless steel structures within the structural engineering research field will be manifested to the international scientific community through the very high quality research publications appearing in the top quality scientific journals in the structural engineering research field as well as presentations and seminars in international conferences. This project will also pave the way for further research projects of the current project team in this area, contributing to their establishment as internationally leading experts on the fire behaviour and design of stainless steel structures. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Construction |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | Capital Investment Fund for Elevated Temperature Material Testing System, School of Engineering, University of Warwick |
| Amount | £35,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Warwick |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2020 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Title | Advanced nonlinear finite element modelling of the behaviour of stainless steel structural elements in fire |
| Description | Advanced nonlinear shell finite element models of stainless steel structural members capable of replicating their structural response in fire have been developed by means of the finite element analysis software Abaqus. The structural response obtained by means of the created finite element models has been compared against that observed for stainless steel structural members in fire experiments; very good agreement has been observed. Python and Matlab scripts were created to perform a high number of numerical parametric studies very effectively and automatically, whereby a very high number of data from the numerical parametric studies were generated, processed and assessed. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The development and validation of the advanced nonlinear finite element models are extensively discussed in our published and submitted papers below. This will provide very important guidance to the researchers in the field in the development of their own numerical models. It is expected that other researchers in the field will refer to our papers from our project in the description of the development of their numerical models. 1. Kucukler, M., 2023. Shear resistance and design of stainless steel plate girders in fire. Engineering Structures, 276, p.115331. 2. Quan, C., Kucukler M., 2023, Cross-section resistance and design of stainless steel CHS and EHS at elevated temperatures. Engineering Structures, Accepted for publication & In press. 3. Quan, C., Kucukler M., 2023, Design of stainless steel SHS and RHS at elevated temperatures. Thin-Walled Structures, Under Review. |
| Title | Research database on the cross-section response of stainless steel structural members in fire |
| Description | A very large number of dataset have been created on the cross-section response of stainless steel structural members in fire, considering the behaviour of about 39000 stainless steel structural members at elevated temperatures. The dataset have been obtained by carrying out the advanced finite element simulations of the structural response of stainless steel members in fire. Various cross-section geometries, cross-section slendernesses, member slendernesses, loading conditions and elevated temperature levels have been taken into consideration. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Such a large database had not existed in the literature before. The research database provides a significantly improved understanding of the cross-section response of stainless steel structural members in fire and has been used and reported in the following submitted publications: 1. Quan, C., Kucukler, M. 2023. Cross-section resistance and design of stainless steel CHS and EHS at elevated temperatures. Engineering Structures, Accepted for publication & In press. 2. Quan, C., Kucukler, M. 2023. Design of stainless steel SHS and RHS at elevated temperatures. Thin-Walled Structures, Under Review. |
| Title | Research dataset on the elevated temperature material properties of novel, high performance grade 1.4420, 1.4527, 1.4410, 1.4622 stainless steels used in the construction and offshore industries |
| Description | Elevated temperature material tests have been carried out on novel, high performance grade 1.4420, 1.4527, 1.4410, 1.4622 stainless steels used in the construction and offshore industries. Their material response and material properties at different elevated temperature levels have been obtained. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Currently, the elevated temperature material response and properties of novel, high performance grade 1.4420, 1.4527, 1.4410, 1.4622 stainless steels used in the construction and offshore industries are largely unknown. This dataset provides a very important understanding of the material behaviour and properties of these considered novel, high performance stainelss steel grades available to the construction and offshore industries. Using this understanding, the fire design of stainless steel structures made of the novel, high performance grade 1.4420, 1.4527, 1.4410, 1.4622 stainless steels can be effectively carried out. The dataset will be included in a journal publication which will be submitted to one of the top journals in the field. |
| Description | Collaboration with Outokumpu |
| Organisation | Outokumpu Stainless Ltd |
| Country | Finland |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Myself and my Postdoctoral Research Associate have been performing elevated temperature material tests on novel, high performance stainless steel grades (grade 1.4420, 1.4577, 1.4410 and 1.4622) which have been developed by our project partner Outokumpu for use in the construction and offshore industries. Our project partner Outokumpu has provided all the material to us for the considered novel, high performance stainless steel grades (grade 1.4420, 1.4577, 1.4410 and 1.4622). The elevated temperature testing campaign includes 336 elevated temperature material tests, whereby the material response and properties of the considered novel stainless steel grades are obtained. Currently, the elevated temperature material response and properties of grade 1.4420, 1.4577, 1.4410 and 1.4622 stainless steels are largely unknown. Therefore, this research will provide extremely valuable information for the fire design of stainless steel structures made up of grade 1.4420, 1.4577, 1.4410 and 1.4622 stainless steels. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our project partner Outokumpu has provided all the material to us for the considered novel, high performance stainless steel grades (grade 1.4420, 1.4577, 1.4410 and 1.4622). Outokumpu has also provided their valuable opinions regarding our experimental set-up, the instruments we utilise and the parameters we consider in our elevated temperature material testing campaign. |
| Impact | The collaboration will lead to a journal publication in one of the top journals in the research area. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with the Steel Construction Institute |
| Organisation | Steel Construction Institute (SCI) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Myself and my Postdoctoral Research Associate have generated a very high number of data obtained from advanced numerical simulations on the structural response of stainless steel cross-sections, columns and plate girders in fire. In total, about 40000 stainless steel structural members in fire were taken into consideration to generate this data. Previously, such a comprehensive dataset had not existed in the literature on the structural response of stainless steel members at elevated temperatures. Various cross-section types and shapes, cross-section slendernesses, member slendernesses, elevated temperature values and loading conditions have been considered. Bespoke fire design methods have been devised for stainless steel cross-sections, columns and plate girders which had not existed in the literature before. One of the research papers reporting the research has been published in Engineering Structures. Two additional research papers reporting this research have been submitted to Engineering Structures and Thin-Walled Structures (top journals in the field). The second research paper submitted to Engineering Structures has been accepted and is currently in press. The third research paper submitted to Thin-Walled Structures is currently under review. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Using their expertise, our project partner the Steel Construction Institute (SCI) has provided their opinions with regard to the obtained results on the behaviour of stainless steel structural members in fire. The SCI has also assessed the developed fire design methods and provided their valuable opinions regarding their appropriate use in practice. Their opinions have been very valuable particularly in the development of the fire design methods for stainless steel structures. With the SCI, we plan to present the research and the developed fire design methods to the CEN/TC250 Subcommittee 3.2 responsible for drafting the British and European structural steel fire design standard BS EN 1993-1-2. The objective will be the incorporation of the fire design methods developed in our project to the next version of BS EN 1993-1-2. This will enable practicing structural engineers to use our methods in the fire design of stainless steel structures in the UK, Europe and other countries that adopt EN 1993-1-2 as their structural steel fire design standard. This will ensure a very high impact of our research and collaboration with the SCI in our research project. |
| Impact | 1. Kucukler, M., 2023. Shear resistance and design of stainless steel plate girders in fire. Engineering Structures, 276, p.115331. 2. Quan, C., Kucukler M., 2023, Cross-section resistance and design of stainless steel CHS and EHS at elevated temperatures. Engineering Structures, Accepted for publication & In press. 3. Quan, C., Kucukler M., 2023, Design of stainless steel SHS and RHS at elevated temperatures. Thin-Walled Structures, Under Review. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | 6th International Stainless Steel Experts Seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A presentation has been delivered by myself regarding a part of the research carried out in our project in the 6th International Stainless Steel Experts seminar, highlighting our project and the support of the EPSRC. Both myself and my Postdoctoral Research Associate attended the seminar. The audience involved industry participants, professional practitioners, academics and postgraduate students specialised on stainless steel structures; the audience was international. The intended purposes were to (i) inform this very specific audience specialised on stainless steel structures regarding the activities of our research project, (ii) hear their opinions regarding our research and the fire design methods we are developing for stainless steel structures and (iii) discuss potential collaboration opportunities for further impact. The presentation and our research have received a very good feedback from the audience and there were very valuable recommendations. Future collaboration plans were made regarding research on stainless steel structures. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://steel-sci.com/stainlessexperts2022/ |
| Description | Eurosteel 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Three conference papers on a series of research activities that have been carried out in the project were presented in Eurosteel 2023 conference by the Principal Investigator and Postdoctoral Research Associate. This 10th edition of the Eurosteel conference series which started in 1995 took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands between 12 and 14 September 2023. There were a high number of international participants from Europe, North America, Australia and Asia; the high number of attendees and presenters required 10 parallel sessions in the conference which make the conference one of the largest in the structural engineering research field. The conference was attended by a high number of academics and postgraduate students in the field as well as professional engineers and stakeholders from steel construction and steel production industries.The attendees were from academia and industry, focusing on steel production, construction methods for steel structures and design methods for steel structures with an emphasis on the achievement of a higher level of sustainability in steel construction during the production, construction and design of steel structures as well as recycling and reuse of steel structures after the end of their project lives. The intended purpose of the activity was to disseminate the very high quality research carried out in this project to (i) the researchers in the steel structures research field. (ii) professional structural engineers, (iii) steel producers and (iv) industrial stakeholders on the construction, recycling and reuse of steel structures. Prior to the conference, conference papers were prepared and submitted which were made available to the participants as well as researchers in the field through the conference proceedings that were published online (see https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/25097075/2023/6/3-4). The outcomes and impact of the activity can be summarised below (i) Through the conference presentations and conference papers which also referred to the journal papers of the project, the researchers, professional engineers and stakeholders in the steel construction and production industries have been made aware of the very high quality research activities of the research project. The importance and level of the research activities taking place in the project have been explicitly demonstrated to this important international audience through the conference presentations and conference papers. (ii) Prior to and after the conference presentations, the Principal Investigator and Postdoctoral Research Associate received a high number of queries and comments regarding their research activities, methods and outcomes of the project. These demonstrated the high level of interest of the international audience attending the conference and high level of impact of the activity. (iii) During the discussions and conversations, the attendees indicated their appreciation of the very high quality research carried out in the project. They also indicated their improved understanding of the enhanced structural fire performance of stainless steel structures as well as the methods used for the fire design of steel structures as a result of the research activities of the project. The attendees interacted with the Principal Investigator and Postdoctoral Research Associate stated the significantly increased accuracy and efficiency in the fire design of stainless steel structures that will be obtained through the fire design methods developed in the project. (iv) The Principal Investigator and Postdoctoral Research Associate established new connections with other academic institutions and industrial organisations that will benefit the future research activities on the behaviour and design of stainless steel structures. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.eurosteel2023.org/ |
| Description | Structural Stability Research Council (SSRC) Annual Stability Conference 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In Structural Stability Research Council (SSRC) Annual Stability Conference which took place in San Antonio, Texas, USA between 19 and 22 March 2024, the progress and findings of the research for the establishment of an advanced and modern structural fire design approach for stainless steel structures are presented. The activity was attended by academics in the structural engineering research area, postgraduate students, practicing engineers as well as industrial stakeholders from around the world (USA, UK, Europe, China etc.). Note that the conference was organised as a part of the North American Structural Steel Conference (NASSC). High interest to the presented research was observed. The dissemination of the research to the participants was carried out effectively. Currently, the modern structural steel fire design trends are geared towards performance-based fire design, aiming to assess performance of structures in different fire scenarios which represents a departure from traditional prescriptive fire design methods. There are advancements in this area in the US. Since the disseminated research offers a modern fire design method for stainless steel structures that uses advanced computational resources and enables performance-based fire design of stainless steel structures, it is received well by the target audience which both involved academics and practitioners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.nascc.aisc.org/ |