Vulnerability assessment of reinforced concrete structures for fire and earthquake risk - Seismic Risk Analysis and Management of Civil Infrastructure Systems - page 364

and experimental results of the test were available, this is a suitable example
to be investigated for the scenario of fi re after an earthquake. For this
purpose, it was assumed that the building structure has undergone a fi re
following the tested earthquake. Performance of the building in the hypo-
thetical fi re was simulated by carrying out a numerical analysis. The six-
storey building was made of reinforced concrete. Figure 14.2 shows the
building on the shaking table after the earthquake test.
Damage to the reinforced concrete structures due to an earthquake may
include concrete spalling, shear/fl exure cracks, or failure of the structural
elements. If the structural elements are protected by a means of fi re protec-
tion, e.g. insulations, there is also a possibility of damage to the protection
systems due to large deformation as the result of the seismic vibration. The
induced damage on the concrete elements could change the heat transfer
mechanism and temperature distributions, and degrade the load-bearing
capacity of the structural elements. This is because heat could penetrate
faster to the core of the concrete elements through the cracks and the con-
crete loses its strength at high temperatures. Therefore, in the structural
response, assessment effects of the damage need to be included in both heat
transfer and structural analysis. In this case study, observations of the con-
crete cracks and damage, recorded during the shaking table tests, were
closely studied to determine potential heat/fl ame penetration through the
damaged elements. An analytical model was then utilized to determine the
14.2 The reinforced concrete wall-frame building specimen.