This research project will study the structural behavior of steel shear angle connections to fire hazard. Steel shear angle connections are often used in steel framed buildings to support the floor beams and provide overall stability to the structure. In case of an internal fire, the performance of these connections plays a crucial role on the response of the structure as a whole. It is thus important to understand the behavior of these connections exposed to fire. Full-scale fire experiments and numerical studies will be conducted at Michigan State University and Princeton University to improve the basic understanding of the behavior of such connections for the entire range of loading from pre-fire stage to collapse stages. The study will evaluate the fire performance of the improved connection details. The project will generate basic data for improved design of these connections for realistic fire and external loading. This data will be used to formulate the guidelines for the design and fire resistance evaluation of shear angle connections.
The proposed design guidelines will facilitate the development of US codes and Standards for the design of structures for fire hazards, and integration of fire design into overall structural design methodology. The guidelines are expected to produce cost-effective and enhanced fire-safe designs of steel structures. The wide dissemination of the research results and data to researchers and practitioners is planned for quick implementation of the design guidelines in practice. The project will also train the next generation of skilled workforce for fire resistant design of steel structures through the direct involvement of graduate and undergraduate students in the project work.
