Effect of Protective Coatings on Post-Fire Performance and Behavior of Mild Steel-Based Cold-Formed Steel Back-to-Back Channel Columns with Bolted Connections
This study investigates the buckling performance of built-up cold-formed steel (CFS) columns, with a focus on how different thermal exposures and cooling strategies influence their susceptibility to various failure mechanisms. Addressing the gap in the literature on the fire behavior of mild steel (...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Fire |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/8/3/107 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849342482754568192 |
|---|---|
| author | Varun Sabu Sam Anand Nammalvar Andrainik Iswarary Diana Andrushia G. Beulah Gnana Ananthi Krishanu Roy |
| author_facet | Varun Sabu Sam Anand Nammalvar Andrainik Iswarary Diana Andrushia G. Beulah Gnana Ananthi Krishanu Roy |
| author_sort | Varun Sabu Sam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigates the buckling performance of built-up cold-formed steel (CFS) columns, with a focus on how different thermal exposures and cooling strategies influence their susceptibility to various failure mechanisms. Addressing the gap in the literature on the fire behavior of mild steel (MS)-based CFS columns, the research aims to provide new insights. Compression tests were conducted on MS-based CFS column specimens after they were exposed to fire, to assess their post-fire buckling strength. The columns were subjected to controlled fire conditions following standardized protocols and then allowed to cool to room temperature. The study examined axial load-bearing capacity and deformation characteristics under elevated temperatures. To improve fire resistance, protective coatings—gypsum, perlite, and vermiculite—were applied to certain specimens before testing, and their performance was compared to that of uncoated specimens. A comprehensive finite element analysis (FEA) was also performed to model the structural response under different thermal and cooling scenarios, providing a detailed comparison of the coating effectiveness, which was validated against experimental results. The findings revealed significant variations in axial strength and failure mechanisms based on the type of fire-resistant coating used, as well as the heating and cooling durations. Among the coated specimens, those treated with perlite showed the best performance. For example, the air-cooled perlite-coated column (MBC2AC) retained a load capacity of 277.9 kN after 60 min of heating, a reduction of only 6.0% compared to the unheated reference section (MBREF). This performance was superior to that of the gypsum-coated (MBC1AC) and vermiculite-coated (MBC3AC) specimens, which showed reductions of 3.6% and 7.9% more, respectively. These results highlight the potential of perlite coatings to enhance the fire resistance of CFS columns, offering valuable insights for structural fire design. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-be1d65524ac74524a706ed8d241ffd41 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2571-6255 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fire |
| spelling | doaj-art-be1d65524ac74524a706ed8d241ffd412025-08-20T03:43:22ZengMDPI AGFire2571-62552025-03-018310710.3390/fire8030107Effect of Protective Coatings on Post-Fire Performance and Behavior of Mild Steel-Based Cold-Formed Steel Back-to-Back Channel Columns with Bolted ConnectionsVarun Sabu Sam0Anand Nammalvar1Andrainik Iswarary2Diana Andrushia3G. Beulah Gnana Ananthi4Krishanu Roy5Department of Civil Engineering, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore 641114, IndiaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore 641114, IndiaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore 641114, IndiaDepartment of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore 641114, IndiaDivision of Structural Engineering, College of Engineering Guindy Campus, Anna University, Chennai 600025, IndiaSchool of Engineering, The University of Waikato, Hamilton 3216, New ZealandThis study investigates the buckling performance of built-up cold-formed steel (CFS) columns, with a focus on how different thermal exposures and cooling strategies influence their susceptibility to various failure mechanisms. Addressing the gap in the literature on the fire behavior of mild steel (MS)-based CFS columns, the research aims to provide new insights. Compression tests were conducted on MS-based CFS column specimens after they were exposed to fire, to assess their post-fire buckling strength. The columns were subjected to controlled fire conditions following standardized protocols and then allowed to cool to room temperature. The study examined axial load-bearing capacity and deformation characteristics under elevated temperatures. To improve fire resistance, protective coatings—gypsum, perlite, and vermiculite—were applied to certain specimens before testing, and their performance was compared to that of uncoated specimens. A comprehensive finite element analysis (FEA) was also performed to model the structural response under different thermal and cooling scenarios, providing a detailed comparison of the coating effectiveness, which was validated against experimental results. The findings revealed significant variations in axial strength and failure mechanisms based on the type of fire-resistant coating used, as well as the heating and cooling durations. Among the coated specimens, those treated with perlite showed the best performance. For example, the air-cooled perlite-coated column (MBC2AC) retained a load capacity of 277.9 kN after 60 min of heating, a reduction of only 6.0% compared to the unheated reference section (MBREF). This performance was superior to that of the gypsum-coated (MBC1AC) and vermiculite-coated (MBC3AC) specimens, which showed reductions of 3.6% and 7.9% more, respectively. These results highlight the potential of perlite coatings to enhance the fire resistance of CFS columns, offering valuable insights for structural fire design.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/8/3/107cold-formed steelcolumnsbuckling capacityfirefire-resistant coatingsair and water cooling |
| spellingShingle | Varun Sabu Sam Anand Nammalvar Andrainik Iswarary Diana Andrushia G. Beulah Gnana Ananthi Krishanu Roy Effect of Protective Coatings on Post-Fire Performance and Behavior of Mild Steel-Based Cold-Formed Steel Back-to-Back Channel Columns with Bolted Connections Fire cold-formed steel columns buckling capacity fire fire-resistant coatings air and water cooling |
| title | Effect of Protective Coatings on Post-Fire Performance and Behavior of Mild Steel-Based Cold-Formed Steel Back-to-Back Channel Columns with Bolted Connections |
| title_full | Effect of Protective Coatings on Post-Fire Performance and Behavior of Mild Steel-Based Cold-Formed Steel Back-to-Back Channel Columns with Bolted Connections |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Protective Coatings on Post-Fire Performance and Behavior of Mild Steel-Based Cold-Formed Steel Back-to-Back Channel Columns with Bolted Connections |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Protective Coatings on Post-Fire Performance and Behavior of Mild Steel-Based Cold-Formed Steel Back-to-Back Channel Columns with Bolted Connections |
| title_short | Effect of Protective Coatings on Post-Fire Performance and Behavior of Mild Steel-Based Cold-Formed Steel Back-to-Back Channel Columns with Bolted Connections |
| title_sort | effect of protective coatings on post fire performance and behavior of mild steel based cold formed steel back to back channel columns with bolted connections |
| topic | cold-formed steel columns buckling capacity fire fire-resistant coatings air and water cooling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/8/3/107 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT varunsabusam effectofprotectivecoatingsonpostfireperformanceandbehaviorofmildsteelbasedcoldformedsteelbacktobackchannelcolumnswithboltedconnections AT anandnammalvar effectofprotectivecoatingsonpostfireperformanceandbehaviorofmildsteelbasedcoldformedsteelbacktobackchannelcolumnswithboltedconnections AT andrainikiswarary effectofprotectivecoatingsonpostfireperformanceandbehaviorofmildsteelbasedcoldformedsteelbacktobackchannelcolumnswithboltedconnections AT dianaandrushia effectofprotectivecoatingsonpostfireperformanceandbehaviorofmildsteelbasedcoldformedsteelbacktobackchannelcolumnswithboltedconnections AT gbeulahgnanaananthi effectofprotectivecoatingsonpostfireperformanceandbehaviorofmildsteelbasedcoldformedsteelbacktobackchannelcolumnswithboltedconnections AT krishanuroy effectofprotectivecoatingsonpostfireperformanceandbehaviorofmildsteelbasedcoldformedsteelbacktobackchannelcolumnswithboltedconnections |