Design of Light Steel-framed Walls for Fire Resistance

Light steel-frame building systems are becoming more prevalent in commercial, industrial and residential construction in New Zealand. Tested fire resistance ratings are generally available for non-load-bearing systems, but not for load-bearing applications. This study investigates the performance of load-bearing light steel-frame systems exposed to fire. Methods are presented for calculating the reduction of steel strength and stiffness at elevated temperatures, and for predicting the deflections resulting from temperature gradients and P-Δ effects. Heat transfer modelling by computer is used to predict steel framing temperatures for systems exposed to the standard ISO 834 time–temperature curve and real fires. Three full-scale furnace tests were carried out to evaluate analytical predictions. A design procedure is proposed.