Structural Behavior Evaluation of a Steel Frame in Simulated Post-Earthquake Fire Environment Using a Comprehensive Sensing Network

Abstract

Earthquake induced disasters have occurred more frequently in recent years. During or after a seismic event, civil infrastructure not only experiences potential vibration-induced structural damage but also is subjected to earthquake-induced harsh environments, such as post-earthquake fire, explosions, and nuclear radiations. Material softening in a fire environment adds significant deformation to steel structures that may have already experienced inelastic deformation due to earthquake effects, leading to progressive collapses. On one hand, the behavior of critical structures needs to be monitored in real time in order to develop the best rescue strategy under harsh conditions. On the other hand, current technologies for structural health monitoring encounter application challenges in these environments in terms of survivability, measurement range, sensitivity, and cost. This paper investigated the structural behavior of a steel frame under simulated post-earthquake fire conditions by using a comprehensive sensor network, including a commercial temperature and strain sensor system and an optical fiber sensing system. The commercial system consists of high temperature strain gauges and thermocouples. The optical system is a quasi-distributed sensing system composed of long period fiber grating (LPFG), fiber Bragg grating (FBG), extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI), and improved hybrid EFPI/LPFG sensors. Laboratory tests have demonstrated that the optical sensor system with movable EFPIs, LPFGs, and improved hybrid EFPI/LPFG sensors can measure strain up to 12% at 700 °C. By using the comprehensive sensing network, the structural behavior of the steel frame can be monitored and evaluated to provide insightful information on the development of the frame's inelastic deformation under the postulated post-earthquake fire condition.

Meeting Name

6th International Workshop on Advanced Smart Materials and Structures Technology (2011: Jul. 25-26, Dalian, China)

Department(s)

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Second Department

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Structural behavior evaluation; post-earthquake fire environments; sensor network; large strain; high temperature

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2011 Asian-Pacific Network of Centers for Research in Smart Structures Technology (ANCRiSST), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jul 2011

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