Structural Fire Engineering

Abstract

Structural fire engineering, as a recognised discipline, is still in its infancy. Great progress has been made in recent decades, in furthering our understanding of material behaviour in fire and of the interactions between structural elements that occur during a f ire. Much of our current understanding has arisen as a consequence of structural engineers coming to terms with the transient conditions associated with a fire, and fire scientists appreciating the crucial role that structural integrity plays in ensuring safe access routes for building occupants and fire f ighters. The Building Regulations Approved Document B provides a performance-based regulatory framework for the fire safety of buildings which allows for alternative fire engineering methods as a means of satisfying the mandatory functional requirements. To take full advantage of the opportunities provided by this f lexible approach to regulation, the expertise of the fire scientist must be combined with that of the structural engineer so that a holistic approach can be made to the design of buildings for fire. Such an interdisciplinary approach is essential to the efficient implementation of the current generation of national and European fire standards for structures. It is hoped that this book will go some way towards demystifying the subject of structural fire engineering and encouraging performance-based approaches to design that, where appropriate, go beyond the limitations of current methods of test and assessment. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of his current employer.