Design of stud connections in steel – concrete composite structures in fire situation

Abstract

This work studies the factors that impact on the fire resistance of stud connections in steel–concrete composite structures, considering beams with solid slab. The design of the experiment, the thermal modeling of the push-out specimens, with or without fire protection material, and the analysis of the significance of the different parameters in the temperature relationships are carried out. Finally, the temperatures that should be considered in the concrete and the connector, expressed as percentages of the steel flange temperature, are proposed in order to determine the reduction factors of the connection resistance in fire situation. The results demonstrate that the percentages proposed in EN 1994-1-2 (2005) to determine the temperature in the concrete and the connector, based on the temperature in the steel flange, are not valid for all design situations within the scope of the code.