Thermal And Structural Behavior of Cold-Formed Steel Frame Under Fire Condition

Resumo

The Light Steel Frame building system is composed of structures manufactured in cold-formed profiles
of light and galvanized steel. With the union of these profiles structural and non-structural frames are assembled,
such as floor and wall beams, slabs, among other components. Over the metallic structure, a coating is applied by
cement boards, drywall, smartsid, or vinyl siding. These plates can contain acoustic, thermal and fire-resistant
coating layers. Because it has a metal support structure, LSF buildings receive great influence in fire situations,
since high temperatures modify the physical and mechanical properties of steel. The present paper aimed to
evaluate the behavior of a structural panel of the steel frame type, covered with gypsum plasterboards, in a fire
condition, analyzing the influence of temperature increase on the mechanical properties of the structural profiles
that constitute it. To achieve this objective, numerical analyses were performed with the commercial software
ANSYS, where the instability modes, the loadbearing capacity and the influence of the thermal action on the frame
were evaluated. With the result of the analyses, it was possible to obtain the fire resistance of the structure.