Effect of air-gap on performance of fabricated slim floor beams in fire

Fabricated slim floor beams are produced by welding a steel plate to the bottom flange of an I-shaped steel section. The welded steel plate makes them structurally efficient and serves as a platform to support the steel decking of composite floor and the pre-cast concrete slabs. During their fabrication, an air-gap is induced between the steel plate and the bottom flange. Previous experimental investigations have shown that this air-gap has an influence on their thermal behaviour at elevated temperatures. Though the air-gap presence has an influence on their thermal performance, no investigations have yet been conducted to analyse its effects on their structural response in fire. This research investigates the effects of air-gap on structural response of fabricated slim floor beams in fire. During this study, finite element modelling is performed to simulate the response of fabricated slim floor beams and the predicted behaviour is verified against the available test data from literature. The validated finite element model is then employed to perform parametric studies to investigate the effects of the presence and size of the air-gap on their response in fire. Results obtained show that the presence of the air-gap has a significant influence on structural response of these beams at elevated temperatures. On the other hand, the size of air-gap has no or negligible effect on their thermal behaviour as well as on their structural response in fire. It was found that the presence of the air-gap restricts temperatures on the bottom flange and helps in achieving an improved fire resistance. As the presence of the air-gap is found to be helpful and beneficial, findings from this research can be used to develop similar designs for structural members as an efficient and inexpensive way to improve their behaviour in fire.