Fire induced progressive collapse analysis of safety critical structures

Abstract This paper examines the technologies involved in Fire Induced Progressive Collapse Analysis (FIPCA), the derivation of the fire loading, the time-dependent temperature distribution and the structural collapse analysis. In developing the techniques, some areas of concern in using the technology have been identified and these are discussed. The paper concludes that scenario based fire definition and holistic (whole structure) modelling provide the most realistic solution, although the techniques do pose problems if not applied with care. Keywords: Fire protection, optimisation, progressive collapse.