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A fundamental requirement for analysing timber structures under fire is to consider the degradation of material properties with temperature. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a model that accounts for the variation of the thermo-physical properties, the development of char, and its evolution with temperature. This model integrates a sequential coupling of heat transfer analysis with structural response. The degradation of the material properties is accounted for through the regulatory approach recommended in Eurocode 5. The stress analysis employs an elasto-plastic model with nonlinear isotropic hardening. Implementation of the model is achieved within the Abaqus suite of finite element software using external subroutines. The model's predictions align well with experimental data, accurately reproducing both thermal and structural responses. Specifically, the model accurately predicts temperature profiles, displacements, and the depth of the charred layer, which initiates above 300 °C. Additionally, for rectangular sections, it was observed that exposure of all faces to fire results in a non-rectangular residual section. Furthermore, employing the temperature-dependent thermal property curves suggested by EC5 yields satisfactory results when predicting the fire resistance of softwood timber structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid nanofluid (HYNF) is an excellent working medium for improved heat transfer performance. To investigate the convective heat transfer performance of an HYNF of various particle mixing ratios (MR), at first samples of MgO-SiO2/water HYNF are prepared by varying the MR of MgO to SiO2 as 0:100, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, and 100:0 at 0.05 mass % of concentration; then convective heat transfer characteristics are determined experimentally by exposing different mass flows of HYNF from 0.03–0.27 kg/s to a constant heat flux of 5630 W/m2. The results describe that the variation in MR strongly influences the Nusselt number (Nu) of HYNF. The maximum Nu, which is 1.94 times (~ 94.50%) higher than the same with base fluid, is obtained at MR of 60:40 and the mass flow rate of 0.13 kg/s. The variation of MR does not affect the friction factor of HYNF and it is nearly comparable to that of the base fluid. Further, a new concept has been proposed to determine the thermo-economic feasibility of HYNF in heat transfer applications. It was recommended to maintain the MR at 60:40 and 0.13 kg/s mass flow rate for optimum thermo-economic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]