Design Strategies for Meeting R15 Fire Resistance in Industrial Structures Using Galvanized Steel

Abstract

The fire resistance of the load-bearing structure is one of the basic requirements that must be verified in every construction project. Recent studies have shown a slight advantage of galvanized steel over carbon steel in terms of fire resistance. This more favourable behaviour of galvanized steel is due to its lower emissivity at temperatures below 500 ºC, which gives the structure an inherent improvement in terms of fire resistance in the range between 15 and 30 minutes. In Spain, this range of required times can easily be found within the industrial building sector. In these cases, it is possible to meet the fire resistance requirements by using galvanized steel, thus avoiding the need to protect the structure with passive protection materials.

The aim of this article is to bring the designer closer to the calculation of the fire resistance of galvanized steel structural elements, through the presentation of a guided calculation example where the benefits of galvanized steel compared to carbon steel in this type of situation will be compared.