Heat Transfer Analysis of Self-Compacting Concrete under Fire Condition

Exposure to fire could affect the structural behavior of the concrete, including Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC). Inclusion of polypropylene fibres (PPF) in SCC as fire protection may reduce the effect of thermal stress, however, there is still lack of information. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to conduct heat transfer analysis of SCC beam subjected to ISO834 standard fire curve for two hours with the fire protection method by Finite Element Method. Heat analysis was conducted using ABAQUS software to determine the temperature-time graph at various location in the cross section of beam (at midspan) and analyse the heat transfer pattern. Four samples developed from the previous experimental work with different proportions of PPF of 0%, 0.05%, 0.10% and 0.15% have been analysed in this study. Findings shows that temperature-time graph analysis across various position at cross section demonstrated that higher fibre content consistently resulted in lower peak temperatures, indicating enhanced fire-resistant properties. The study of temperature contours at the midspan confirmed uniform heat distribution along the beam. These findings support the conclusion that incorporating PPF enhances the fire resistance of concrete beams. This study is necessary since there is limited analysis on the SCC with fire protection measures. The study of heat transfer analysis in this research has significant implications for fire resistance analysis. By understanding how heat propagates through concrete beams with varying proportions of PPF, the thermal behaviour and structural integrity of these materials under fire conditions can be assessed.