A Review of Precast Concrete Beam-to-Column Connections Subjected to Severe Fire Conditions

Abstract

Fire exposure can have a significant impact on the structural integrity and robustness of precast concrete beam-to-column connections. Given the importance of fire safety in the design of a structure, it is critical to understand the damage that may occur in the event of a fire to be able to prevent the building from collapsing. No comprehensive study has been carried out to determine the effects of fire on semirigid and pinned concrete beam-to-column connections. Most studies focused on the impact of exposure of rigid concrete beam-to-column connections to high temperatures. This paper is a comprehensive review of the literature on the performance of precast concrete beam-to-column connections under fire conditions. The key areas in this review are the moment-rotation-temperature characteristics and fire effect on precast concrete beam-to-column connections. This paper focuses primarily on the case studies of real fires, large-scale fire tests, computer simulations and analytical models, fire resistance tests on the connection elements, and assessment and rehabilitation of fire-damaged precast concrete. The paper also discusses the current issues and possible challenges.