Fire Performance Evaluation of Structural Systems

Fire performance evaluation of structural systems encompasses the experimental, analytical and computational assessment of how buildings, bridges and other load-bearing frameworks respond to fire exposure. This field addresses material degradation, temperature evolution and structural integrity under both uniform and non-uniform fire scenarios. Traditional design fires rely on standard temperature–time curves, assuming homogeneous heating, whereas contemporary research recognises complex phenomena such as travelling fires, flashover dynamics and multi-fuel interactions. Evaluations draw on large-scale fire tests, element-level calorimetry and advanced finite-element models to predict deflections, axial forces, connection behaviour and collapse mechanisms. Insights from these studies inform fire-resistant material selection, advanced passive and active fire protection strategies, retrofit design for existing structures and holistic risk modelling that accounts for evolving hazards, climate impacts and socio-economic consequences. Ultimately, this research underpins guidelines and codes that ensure structural resilience, occupant safety and continuity of operations in the event of fire across diverse infrastructures worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have advanced a holistic engineering framework that integrates state-of-the-art fire analysis methods with structural design and retrofit strategies within multi-hazard risk modelling. This approach has been demonstrated in the context of bridge infrastructure, where novel numerical and analytical tools enable sustainable and resilient designs capable of withstanding unpredictable fire exposure alongside other environmental stresses. Emphasis is placed on embedding fire performance criteria early in the design process and on developing adaptable retrofitting solutions for existing bridges subject to increasingly severe hazard scenarios.

Research from all publishers

A numerical investigation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle fires in semi-open car parks coupled detailed fluid-dynamic simulation with transient thermal analysis of concrete slabs. The study quantified the influence of nozzle geometry and fire spread timing on surface temperatures and heat release rates, providing guidance on passive ventilation and structural protection in emerging vehicle fire scenarios. Another work explored “scaling-up” a calibrated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model from isolated wood cribs to extensive fuel beds, capturing travelling fire spread, heat release rate evolution and radiant fluxes in large compartments. The enhanced simulator offers a systematic tool to characterise fire dynamics under varying boundary conditions. A foundational contribution improved the Travelling Fires Methodology by refining analytical expressions for near-field and far-field temperatures, incorporating flame oscillations and variable fire sizes. The upgraded formulation was applied to generic concrete and steel compartments, revealing that peak temperature locations depend on fire spread rate and heat release rate, and highlighting differences between uniform and spatially migrating fire exposures for structural design.

Fire Performance Evaluation of Structural Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in fire performance evaluation of structural systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Travelling fire: A non-uniform fire that propagates across a compartment, producing spatially varying temperatures and heat fluxes along a defined path.

Heat release rate (HRR): The rate at which a fire emits energy (typically in kW or MW), governing thermal loading on structural elements.

Multi-hazard risk modelling: An integrated framework for assessing combined and interactive effects of fire alongside other perils (e.g. seismic, wind) on structural resilience.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD): A numerical approach to simulate fluid flow, heat transfer and combustion processes for detailed prediction of fire dynamics and boundary conditions.

Standard fire curve: A prescribed temperature–time relationship used in structural fire design to represent a uniform thermal environment within a compartment.

References

1. Integrating fire safety into bridge design is essential for resilient infrastructure. Nature Communications (2024).
2. Thermal responses of a concrete slab under hydrogen fuel cell vehicle fires in a semi-open car park. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2024).
3. “Scaling-up” fire spread on wood cribs to predict a large-scale travelling fire test using CFD. Advances in Engineering Software (2024).
4. Improved Formulation of Travelling Fires and Application to Concrete and Steel Structures. Structures (2015).