NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURE WOOD

CONCRETE IN FIRE

Julio Cesar Molina1, Carlito Calil Junior2

ABSTRACT: In this paper was evaluated, using the software ANSYS, the temperature fields of wood-concrete
composite beams, of section T, with connectors formed by steel rods, in vertical position to the grain. The evolution of
temperature was made according to ISO 834:1999 standard. The numerical model considers a bi-dimensional system
and the temperature in both elements concrete and wood was measured after 30 minutes of exposition in fire with the
fire in three sides exposed of the model. The values of temperature were compared with the results from the other
researchers showing a good agreement. The numerical model presented in this paper may be used to determinate the
depth of carbonization of wood and also the temperature into the concrete with reasonable approximation.

KEYWORDS: Composite structures timber-concrete, numerical modelling, temperature field, fire

1 INTRODUCTION123 Thermal analysis usually has a transient character

Fire resistance is defined as the ability of a material or
structural element to remain during a certain time,
performing the functions for which it was designed,
under the action of fire.
In Brazil most studies has a character essentially numeric
because there is still no horizontal furnaces in the
country for tests of structural elements with real
dimensions under load. The first horizontal furnace of
Brazil of this nature will be in operation in the second
half of 2012.
For the other hand, the advanced calculation models are
based on the numerical methods such as Finite
Difference Method (FDM) and Finite Element Method
(FEM) and these methods allow obtaining the
temperature during the heating process.
For use of these methods it is necessary the use of
computer programs with settings and tools compatible to
numerical effort to solve the problem. Some programs
used in this case are: ADAPTIC, SUPRTEMPCALC,
SAFIR and VULCAN.
However, the numerical analysis of heat transfer can also
be performed by commercial packages developed based
on the FEM such as ANSYS, ABAQUS, ADINA and
DIANA, all known worldwide.
1
Julio Cesar Molina, Wood and Timber Structures Laboratory,
Sao Paulo University, Av Trabalhadores Sao carlense, Sao
Carlos, Brazil. Email: juliocm@sc.usp.br
2
Carlito Calil Junior, Wood and Timber Structures Laboratory,
Sao Paulo University, Av Trabalhadores Sao carlense, Sao
Carlos, Brazil. Email: calil@sc.usp.br
considering of the fact that the temperature in an
environment in fire has variation with the temperature.
This work originated from the necessity of obtaining
information about the modeling of composite beams of
wood and concrete in fire.
The main aim of this work was the simulation, through
numerical modeling, of the temperature field in a wood-
concrete composite beam, of section T, with connectors
formed by steel rods, in vertical position to the grain.
From the numerical model proposed was possible the
presentation of the main finite elements used in the
numerical model which consider the variation of
temperature and also determinate the depth of
carbonization of wood besides the temperature into the
concrete with reasonable approximation. The thermal
properties for the materials wood and concrete used in
the numerical model were also presented.
2 NUMERICAL MODELLING
The numerical modelling was performed from a bi-
dimensional model using the software ANSYS, version
10.0, that has with base the FEM.
The temperature in the composite cross section was
measured after 30 minutes of exposition in fire. Figure 1
shows the composite cross section considered in the
numerical model that was defined with base in the
structural elements evaluated in the works [1,2].
In the composite cross section the element of timber
present dimensions of 16 cm (width) and 26 cm (height)
and the concrete element present dimensions of 100 cm
(width) and 10 cm (height). To facilitate the construction
of the numerical model the materials wood and concrete,
that form the cross section, are modelled for provide
common nodes at the interface between the referred
elements and this detail could be observed in Figure 4.
The steel connection system was modelled for a common
node coupled between both materials wood and concrete.
Concrete Shear connector
slab (Steel bar)
2.2 DISCRETIZATION OF THE MESH
The mesh of finite elements related to the composite
cross section was discretized in plan elements
(PLANE177) having each element dimensions of 1 cm x
1 cm totalling 1416 finite elements in the cross section as
shown in Figure 4. Of this total, 1000 finite elements
composes the part of the concrete and 416 the part of the
wood.

Concrete

Timber
beam

Figure 1: Cross section of the composite beam

Timber

2.1 FINITE ELEMENTS

Figure 4: Mesh of finite elements
The numerical model developed in this work was made
with base in pre-definite elements and available in the In the lower boundary of cross section were applied 304
internal library of the software [3]. The choice of each elements type surface (SURF151) in two different layers,
finite element was made from the consideration of this being 152 elements for the radiation effects and the
representation to the behavior to be simulated. others for the convection effects as shown in Figure 5.
To compare the results of numerical modelling were
considered the numerical and experimental results
obtained in the works [1,2].
The cross section from the composite beam was
modelled for bi dimensional elements of type plan
(PLANE 77) and for the elements type surface (SURF
151) that were used for the implementation of boundary
conditions of convection and radiation to the model.
The element PLANE 77 presents eight nodes and
presents a degree of freedom per node that is the
temperature. The element SURF 151 has two or tree
nodes and considers a extra node located out of mesh of
finite elements to the control of temperature other nodes Figure 5: Border (radiation and convection) exposed to
of the mesh. All nodes from the model are bound to the the standard fire
extra node. The elements PLANE77 and SURF151 are
shown in Figures 2 and 3.
Analysis considered was of the “thermal transient” and
the numerical results were evaluated for time 30 minutes
for the depth with about of 10 mm. The heating standard
curve used in the numerical model to verify of the
evolution of temperature in the composite cross section
was the [4] In the numerical model the composite cross
section was exposed to the fire only on three sides, i. e,
the top surface of the concrete slab has not been
Figure 2: Finite element PLANE77. Source: [3]
exposed, as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 3: Finite element SURF151. Source: [3]

Figure 6: Fire on three sides of the composite cross
section
2.3 THERMAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD
The values used for the wood in the numerical model are
according to [5] that considered wood of the type
Eucalyptus citriodora. Figure 7 shows the thermal
conductivity values adopted for the wood.
Figure 7: Thermal conductivity
The range of values of specific heat as a function of
temperature for the wood is shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8: Specific heat
The values of density versus temperature for the wood as
showed in Figure 9. In this case, to obtain the density
resorted to thermogravimetric analysis as presented in
[1]. The results shown in Figure 9 have been calibrated
for insertion into the numerical model, adopting the
residual value of 10% for the relative density.
Figure 9: Density of the wood.
The coefficient of convection adopted for the finite
element (SURF151-convection) that bypassed the timber
element surface of the composite cross section was equal
to 13.5 W/m2K.
The emissivity value adopted for the finite element
(SURF151-radiation) that bypassed the timber element
surface of the composite cross section was equal to 0.6.
For temperatures of until approximately 100 oC is
relatively wide the amount of available information
about the thermal properties of some wood species.
However for higher temperatures that doesn't happen and
studies correlating properties thermal versus temperature
are relatively scarce, mainly when it is species hard
wood.
2.4 THERMAL PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE
The values of properties used for the concrete in the
numerical model are according to [2,6] for comparison
of the results. Thus, the thermal conductivity of the
concrete, λ, varies with the temperature, θ, according
Equation (1) below:
1.748 If θ  [20;199] oC
 If θ  [199;899] oC
()  1.748  1,246x103 (1)
0.846 If θ > 899 oC

The value of specific heat used for the concrete was
constant and equal to 1139 J/kg/oC and the density was
2403 kg/m3.
The coefficient of convection adopted for the finite
element (SURF151-convection) that bypassed the
concrete element surface of the composite cross section
was equal to 25 W/m2K.
The emissivity value adopted for the finite element
(SURF151-radiation) that bypassed the concrete element
surface of the composite cross section was equal to
0.522.
In the application of fire safety it is assumed that the
gases of the combustion and the structural elements are
in direct contact, so that this phenomenon can be treated
as the case of two infinite surfaces (plates). In this case
the configuration factor (Ф), for definition, is equal to 1.
The configuration factor represents the fraction of the
radiant thermal energy that leaves a surface (issuing) and
that indeed intercepts another surface (receiving), being
that there is loss of energy along the road among the
surfaces.
The configuration factor depends on the special
configuration between the issuing and receiving
surfaces.
The constant of Stefan Boltzmann used in the numerical
model to the radiation effects was 5.67 x 10-8 W/m2.K4.
This value was used in the radiation surfaces of wood
and concrete.
In the interface of the materials concrete-wood the
degrees of the freedom “temperature” of overlapping
nodes were coupled. This tactics was used to provide the
continuity of the temperature field between the jointed
materials.
3 CALIBRATION OF THE MODEL
The calibration of the numerical model was made of the
form independent for each material. Thus, for the
element of wood was considered the experimental results
obtained by [1].
The medium values of the experimental results in this
case were obtained for specimens of wood for the depth
of 10 mm and 20 mm. Figure 10 shows the curves of
temperature versus time for the comparison of the
experimental and numerical results.
The curve [4] presented in Figure 10 corresponds to the
control of heating of the extra node.
The calibration of the numerical results for the concrete
element was made with base in the work developed by
[2] through the comparison with other numerical models
presented by another researchers.
Figure 10: Comparison among the numerical and
experimental results obtained by [1] for the evolution of
the temperature in function of the time for the wood
element.
Starting from the comparison among the results
presented in the Figure 10 was observed that the medium
numeric values for the wood were a little below the
medium experimental values obtained by [1].
4 RESULTS
Figure 11 shows the temperature field for the composite
cross section considering a time of 30 minutes (1800
seconds) of exposition to the fire standard according
curve [4].
Figure 11: Temperature field obtained in the numeric
analysis by the software ANSYS for time of 30 minutes
(1800 seconds)
It was observed that the temperature in the wood surface
was about 840 °C being that one centimeter into the
timber the temperature was 785 °C.
For the concrete the temperature in the low surface was
approximately 659 oC after 30 min of exposition to the
standard fire and one centimeter into the concrete the
temperature was approximately 568 oC.
5 CONCLUSIONS
The results of the numeric model developed were shown
satisfactory when compared to the experimental and
numerical results obtained by [1] and [2].
The model here presented can be used for the
determination of the depth of carbonization of the wood
and the temperature into the concrete with reasonable
approach.
Besides, the values of the properties of the wood and
concrete used in the present work serve as suggestion for
futures works related to the numeric analysis in high
temperatures. Most values of the properties of wood
found in the literature are regarding light wood (conifers)
and for temperature of until approximately 100 oC.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors thank FAPESP (São Paulo State Research
Support Foundation, Brazil) for its financial backing of
this work.
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