Experimental and Numerical Investigations on Steel Columns Compartment Subjected to Travelling Fires

In the frame of the European RFCS TRAFIR project, three large compartment fire tests involving steel structure were conducted by Ulster University, aiming at understanding in which conditions a travelling fire develops, as well as how it behaves and impacts the surrounding structure. During the experimental programme, the path and geometry of the travelling fire was studied and temperatures, heat fluxes and spread rates were measured. Influence of the travelling fire on the structural elements was also monitored during the travelling fire tests. This paper provides details related to the influence of travelling fires on structural steel columns. The experimental data is presented in terms of the gas temperatures recorded in the test compartment near the column, as well as the temperatures recorded in the steel column at different levels. The scope of the experimental work is extended using CFD simulations with FDS software, which demonstrate with good agreement with measurements in the steel column exposed to travelling fires.