Experimental study on performance of elliptical section steel columns, under hydrocarbon fire

Elliptical structural steel hollow sections represent a recent addition to the range of steel sections available to structural engineers. However, despite the extensive interest in their use on the basis of both architectural attraction and structural efficiency, a complete absence of fire resistance design guidance is restraining applications. This paper presents the first study ever conducted to investigate the fire resistance of steel columns with Elliptical Hollow Sections (EHS). Six columns of two slenderness λ=40.1λ=40.1 and λ=50.8λ=50.8 were tested under three loading levels (αL=0.3,0.45αL=0.3,0.45 and 0.6) and subjected to a hydrocarbon fire curve. The paper provides the recorded data of axial displacements and temperature profiles of the EHS steel columns, while highlighting the unique local and overall buckling failure modes of the Elliptical Hollow Section.

Research highlights
► This experimental study explored for the first time the performance of Elliptical Hollow Section (EHS) steel columns when subjected to the Hydrocarbon fire.
► Two EHS section types with different slenderness were compared under 3 different loading levels.
► Axial displacement and critical failure temperatures measured and compared with Eurocode calculations.
► The study illustrated unique local and overall global effects of the EHS column.