Numerical analysis of steel columns subjected to fire

Purpose Isolated steel columns, when exposed to high temperatures, lose strength in a few minutes due to the high thermal conductivity of its constituent material. When these structural elements are embedded in walls, the response to exceptional action is altered so that the compartmentation offers an increase in the fire resistance of the columns. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the behavior of steel columns inserted in walls subject to thermal action in a numerical context. Design/methodology/approach For this purpose, the computational code ABAQUS version 6.14, which applies the finite element method formulation to solve engineering problems, was used. Findings The thermo-mechanical modeling, considering the wall only as a compartmentation element, generated few consistent results, leading to the conclusion that the walls influence the structural response of columns in a fire situation. Originality/value There is a lack of both numerical and experimental research works. In numerical modeling, the research works found in the literature had difficulties in developing a numerical model that satisfactorily represented steel columns inserted in walls, not being able to adequately understand their behavior at high temperatures. All of them did not consider the influence of masonry on the thermo-structural behavior of the columns. In this paper, this influence was evaluated and discussed.