Load and temperature influence on the post-fire mechanical properties of steel reinforcements

Abstract

[EN] An experimental study was carried out to evaluate the residual mechanical properties of steel reinforcements after their exposure to elevated temperatures. In order to reproduce real loading conditions, specimens were simultaneously subjected to a load level and a thermal cycle consisting of heating up to a target temperature and cooling back to room temperature. The target temperature was a percentage of the critical temperature, i.e., the temperature at which a specimen breaks when it is subjected to a constant tensile load and an increasing temperature at a constant rate. After that, the residual mechanical properties were obtained submitting the specimens to tensile testing until failure. Critical temperatures for each load level were obtained by means of transient-state tests. In parallel, unloaded specimens were subjected to the same thermal cycle for comparison purposes, and for the same reason steady-state tests were also performed. Results indicated that the residual mechanical behaviour of reinforcing bars depended not only on the maximum temperature reached, but also on the load level that was bearing during the thermal cycle. Depending on this combination of variables, the code requirements for a given ductility class of a reinforcement may not be satisfied in a post-fire situation. Considering the lack of information in this issue, the obtained data can be helpful in the assessment of reinforced concrete structures after a fire.