IMPACT OF FIRE ON STEEL REINFORCEMENT IN REINFORCED CONCRETE BUILDINGS: A REVIEW

Abstract

With the increased incidents of fire in the buildings, it has become important to asses, repair and
rehabilitate RCC buildings damaged due to fire. Fire incidents can damage a structure to extent that it can collapse,
the structures however well build are not immune to fire and hence design considerations for fire becomes very
important part of structural engineering. Stirrup spacing plays an important role in designing a structure. The fire
caused in building results in spalling of concrete. Spalling of concrete means separation of concrete mass from
concrete elements thus making the reinforcement visible and in turn coming in contact with the fire destroys the cover
and decreasing the overall stability of the structure. Secondly it decreases the overall strength of the structure. Load
bearing capacity of steel decreases when it is subjected to fire. If duration and intensity is higher it may lead to the
collapse of the buildings. In this review, the effect of rise in temperature on reinforcement in reinforced concrete
buildings is studied. The factors that influence the thermal and structural behaviour of RCC buildings under various
temperatures are discussed.