Numerical study on the effect of post-earthquake fires on the resistance of fire-insulated steel frames

Fires and earthquakes are accidental actions with a low probability of occurrence [1], however a large number of earthquakes have been followed by fires resulting in large amounts of material damage. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of earthquakes on the fire resistance of insulated moment resistant frames.

For this purpose, a numerical study of post-earthquake fire performance has been carried out with focus on the influence of the damage of the silicate-based construction board used for insulation. The results demonstrate that the earthquake induced loss of insulation may alter the collapse mechanism and decreases substantially the fire resistance of both 5 and 10 storey steel frames.