Travail de fin d'études/Projet de fin d'études : Numerical Analysis of the Behaviour of Timber Elements under Realistic Fires until Complete Burnout

Abstract

When a fire occurs in a building, it causes a rise in temperature that continues until reaching a peak, after which the temperature declines and eventually returns to ambient levels. Historically, fire engineering has concentrated primarily on the impact of the heating phase on structural integrity, often using standardized fire models that depict a continuous increase in temperature over time. As a result, there is currently limited understanding of how structures behave during the cooling phase of a fire.

The goal of this research is to examine the behavior of structures exposed to the full course of natural fires, extending to their extinction, with a specific focus on their behaviour with the intervention of firefighters. This study addresses its objectives through parametric analyses on various glued laminated timber columns. The nonlinear finite element software used in these analyses has been validated with data from an experimental study on a real wooden column.

The emphasis on this type of analysis is due to the availability of supporting experimental data. The insights gained regarding structural behavior during the cooling phase of a fire enhance current understanding, revealing how differences in structural geometry, for instance, can lead to varying outcomes. These findings highlight the structural vulnerabilities associated with the parameters under consideration.