One of the milestones of the project was the large-scale fire test of a steel hall in Jeseník, which provided unique insights that can be used in the design and assessment of hall structures in terms of fire safety.
The fire test was carried out in a typical single-story hall with a steel frame structure measuring 23.68 m × 11.70 m and a ridge height of 7.02 m, constructed by PROMSTAL Engineering and Industrial Design & Service a.s. Inside the building, a local fire was prepared from 1,200 wooden slats (4 m3 of wood). The course of the fire was monitored using 56 measuring points and 3 measuring stations, which were connected using over 1200 meters of cable. Due to the fire and the simultaneously applied mechanical load, the expected displacement of the loaded frame structure and local deformations of the roof and cladding elements were achieved. The results of the experiment confirmed the development of the fire according to preliminary numerical simulations and will be used in further parts of the project to validate design procedures and create special software. The steel structure of the hall also demonstrated its ability to withstand the effects of the designed fire for more than 40 minutes without significant damage. The designed hall therefore achieved a higher fire resistance than is typical for conventional unprotected steel structures, thanks in part to the contribution of trapezoidal sheet metal to the overall stability of the building.
"Our goal was to verify the hypothesis developed by experts from the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT) in a fire test. We will use the data obtained to create software that we will use in our construction practice. This will give us a better understanding of the effects of fire in real buildings. Based on this, we will reduce material consumption, thereby making the entire design more efficient. The result should be that we will build more safely, cheaply, and ecologically," said Pavel Stibor, director of PROMSTAL Engineering.
"The fire resistance of steel structures is always a decisive factor in the design of the supporting structure itself. This, of course, has a significant impact on material consumption. Even though we have standard procedures available to achieve the desired results, the data obtained from large-scale fire tests can refine these procedures. This is because we can verify and confirm the actual behavior of the structure in conjunction with the cladding in the event of a fire. The subsequent software, which takes the test results into account for the assessment, then streamlines the work of the structural engineer. All this will lead to a reduction in material consumption and thus to lower energy consumption during construction and, last but not least, to greater competitiveness for our company," adds Vladimír Špicar, CEO of Industrial Design & Service a.s.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has long supported projects that combine innovation, sustainability, and safety. That is why it welcomes the fire test of the steel structure in Jeseník, which presented a unique opportunity to verify the fire resistance of modern steel systems. The results are currently being evaluated and are expected to provide important insights for the further development of fire safety in the construction industry. The test also showed that steel has a firm place in the construction industry for the future and that Czech companies, researchers, and experts can work together to push the boundaries of what is possible in construction.
Project CZ.01.01.01/01/22_002/0000910 Steel Hall 4.0 for Sustainable Development of Industrial Construction is funded by the Operational Program Technology and Applications for Competitiveness of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and the European Union.
(Translated with DeepL.com)
