Results of a Post Test Round Robin of the Calculated Response of a Loaded Steel Beam to a Furnace Test

Abstract

Calculations or simulations are often used as an alternative means of evaluating the fire resistance of elements and structures as opposed to fire resistance testing. Indeed, in Europe, calculations carry the same credibility as testing for the certification of certain building products. However, while for testing there are accreditation requirements of the test laboratory, this is not the case for calculations. In other words, when evaluating building products for certification based on testing there is a formal control system that must be followed and this is not the same when doing the same job based on calculations. This paper details the second stage of a round robin study of the calculated response of structures in fire. In this instance, the study is based on a fire test which was conducted on two steel beams at SP’s fire resistance laboratory in Sweden. We describe the different approaches taken to the prediction and how the additional information provided to the participants was taken into account. We also compare the predicted deflection histories with the deflection history during the test. Finally, we compare the calculation round robin with the results of a fire resistance testing round robin of the same object, which illustrates the relative certainties in testing results compared with calculation results