Modelling of thermo-mechanical behaviour of tunnels under fire conditions
Rafael A.S. Díaz (TU Delft - Concrete Structures)
Eva O. L. Lantsoght (TU Delft - Concrete Structures, Universidad San Francisco de Quito)
Max Hendriks (Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), TU Delft - Concrete Structures)
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Abstract
Major fire events in tunnels have shown severe consequences in their structural performance, as reported in several incidents in the last decades. Particularly, due to the enclos-ure geometry of tunnels, intense thermal loading may develop in comparison to typical fires in buildings, which may result in more damage. Even though tunnel linings are an important com-ponent in transportation infrastructure, the understanding of their behaviour under high tem-peratures is limited. This paper aims to study the thermo-mechanical response of tunnels subjected to fire using nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA). For this purpose, recent experimental tests of large-scale reinforced concrete tunnels with and without fire protection are simulated. Different modelling approaches and strategies are discussed, and a detailed descrip-tion of the constitutive model employed is presented. The results obtained in the simulations indicated that the numerical analysis can be used to investigate the thermo-mechanical behav-iour of concrete structures.
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