Performance-based structural fire design of steel frames can eliminate fire protection on up to half of a building’s floor beams, according to a two-year study of PBSFD. Still, structural engineers leading the way toward more common use of structural fire engineering in the U.S. say there is more testing needed—especially on column-to-beam connection details—to prove all the benefits of PBSFD.
The method, which develops project-specific structural behavior, requires sophisticated modeling of a design under fire loads. PBSFD can “benefit public safety and deliver more efficient and economical buildings,” says Kevin LaMalva, principal fire consultant for Warringtonfire. He was the lead investigator for the research, which produced a 268-page publication, “Performance-Based Structural Fire Design,” released Oct. 6 and available for download free of charge.