Speaker: Thomas Gernay, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
When: Friday, October 24, 9:30AM
Where: KH A510 (Lincoln) and PKI 160 (Omaha)
Zoom*: 937 3450 0302
*students enrolled in CIVE 990R need permission to attend via Zoom
Title: Performance-Based Design for Structures in Fire: Recent Experimental and Computational Advances
Abstract: Abstract: The response of structures to fire is a crucial component of the safety and resilience of the built environment. While structural engineers explicitly consider gravity, wind, and earthquake-induced forces in their design, they often rely on prescriptive rules to mitigate fire hazard. However, developing an understanding of the anticipated behavior of structures in fire provides benefits as it allows engineers to assess risk, safely innovate, and quantify the performance of candidate designs to meet design goals. To enable such assessments, engineers must have access to the appropriate models and analysis tools. This presentation will be divided into two parts. First, we will outline a framework for performance-based structural fire design, and discuss methods for characterizing fire exposure, material response, and structural response under fire conditions. Then, we will highlight recent research on steel-concrete composite, timber, and cold-formed steel structures. Through these studies, we will show how the combination of experimental testing and computational modeling advances our understanding of structural fire performance and unlocks benefits in terms of cost, safety, sustainability, and resilience.