Fire Exposure of Structures According to Standards

Abstract

When exposed to fire structures deform and lose load-bearing capacity which must be considered in design processes. It is then exposures to the more severe fires which are of interest such as post-flashover compartment fires and large flames for longer times. Pre-flashover fires do in general not create thermal conditions that can jeopardize the function of structural elements in a building. For design purposes it is therefore in general exposures relevant for post-flashover compartment fires that are specified in various standards and guidelines in the form of time–temperature curves. These curves are then used for controlling fire resistance test furnaces, see Fig. 12.1.