The structural behaviour of steel columns during a compartment fire in a multi-storey braced steel-frame

Test results from a compartment fire in the eight-story steel-framed building at Cardington, have shown that the columns, which were heavily fire protected, were subjected to significant induced moments. These moments, which are ignored in existing fire design methods, were caused by the connected heated steel beams, which were unprotected, expanding and displacing the columns laterally. This behaviour was confirmed from the measured test displacements and computer modelling. Proposals for future research work are presented to enable design guidance to be developed to ensure stability of columns, when subjected to these moments during a fire.