Fire Resistance Increase of Structural Steel through the Modification of its Chemical Composition

In the article the possibility for increasing the fire resistance of structural steel used in building load-bearing structures is presented and discussed in detail. The recommended approach is based on a suitable modification of its chemical composition, in particular by adding the carefully selected alloying elements. With such a change, not only a high-temperature strength of this material may be significantly increased in relation to that which would be achieved for the typical structural steel with an unmodified composition but also its sufficient weldability should be ensured by the entire duration of its exposure to a fire. The steel modified in this way would be undoubtedly more expensive to manufacture but due to the fact that it will not require any special protection against fire it seems that it can provide an interesting alternative to the solutions currently used in engineering practice.