Introduction
Fire analysis is not a routine task for a structural engineer. This article showcases the solution behind IDEA StatiCa, which automatically calculates the temperature for plates in the connection model under fire exposure.
The weld and bolt components take the temperature of the connected plate with the highest temperature. More about assumptions: https://www.ideastatica.com/support-center/general-theoretical-background#Fire-design
Model & assumptions
The temperature of the stiffener at this connection point will be checked. The connection will be exposed to fire and must withstand at least 15 minutes R15. The fire curve used for simulation is "External fire curve (EN 1993-1-2)." There is an important notice that the fire protection has not been applied.
Code formulas
The assumptions are based on EN 1993-1-2 for unprotected steel materials. Because no protective insulation exists, the material is directly exposed to heat from convection and radiation from the flames, causing it to heat up much more quickly.
Eurocode defines several nominal temperature–time fire curves used in structural fire design:
- Standard Fire Curve (ISO 834 / EN 1991-1-2, Eq. 3.1)
