A Numerical Investigation on Restrained High Strength Q460 Steel Beams Including Creep Effect

Most of previous studies on fire resistance of restrained steel beams neglected creep effect due to lack of suitable creep model. This paper presents a finite element model (FEM) for accessing the fire resistance of restrained high strength Q460 steel beams by taking high temperature Norton creep model of steel into consideration. The validation of the established model is verified by comparing the axial force and deflection of restrained beams obtained by finite element analysis with test results. In order to explore the creep effect on fire response of restrained Q460 steel beams, the thermal axial force and deflection of the beams are also analyzed excluding creep effect. Results from comparison infer that creep plays a crucial role in fire response of restrained steel beam and neglecting the effect of creep may lead to unsafe design. A set of parametric studies are accomplished by using the calibrated FEM to evaluate the governed factors influencing fire response of restrained Q460 steel beams. The parametric studies indicate that load level, rotational restraint stiffness, span–depth ratio, heating rate and temperature distribution pattern are key factors in determining fire resistance of restrained Q460 steel beam. A simplified design approach to determine the moment capacity of restrained Q460 steel beams is proposed based on the parametric studies by considering creep effect.