Structures in Fire or Fires in Structures?
Event details
| Date | 14.03.2012 |
| Hour | 12:15 › 13:30 |
| Speaker | Prof. José L. Torero |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
The development of the concept of structural resistance to fire in the late 19th century enabled the transformation of infrastructure such as tall buildings or the use of steel as a construction material. Once century later the concept of fire resistance is still used in a generalized manner. During the last two decades, dramatic improvements in the understanding of structural behaviour in fire has enabled the design and construction of many buildings that do not meet the code compliant requirements of fire resistance. In the same period we have experienced the biggest structural failures due to fire within buildings that fully met the required fire resistance raising many questions associated to the validity of the fire resistance concept. It has become clear that fire resistance is not an absolute guarantee for structural stability in fire; nevertheless it is not clear where the weaknesses lie. Structural behaviour in fire has thus receive great attention but the definition of the “fire load” has been fundamentally neglected, ignoring how the modern build environment has displaced us away from the standard temperature vs. time curve. This presentation will discuss the weaknesses and strengths of the fire resistance concept emphasizing both the fundamental understanding of complex structural behaviour (tensile membrane action, spalling, material properties, etc.) and the nature of the “fire load” in modern built environments (definition of space, fuel loads, ventilation, etc.).
Bio: Jose L. Torero (FREng, FRSE, CEng, PhD) is BRE Trust/RAEng Professor of Fire Safety Engineering and Director of the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society of Edinburgh and recipient of the 2008 Arthur B. Guise Medal from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (USA) and the 2011 Rasbash Medal from the Institution of Fire Engineers (UK) for eminent achievements in the science, engineering and education in Fire Safety. Author of more than 150 journal publications and 500 technical documents in conferences around the world. Member of many technical and standards committees, editor of Fire Safety Journal as well as editorial boards of diverse journals in the fields of architecture, combustion, energy and fire.
Leading expert in the development of fire safety solutions for complex environments that include spacecraft, tunnels, oil platforms, historic building, nuclear power plants and tall buildings among others. His work crosses the boundaries of civil, chemical, mechanical and aerospace engineering as well as architecture, sustainability and preservation of the environment. Participated in landmark investigations of WTC 1, 2 & 7 collapses, Madrid Windsor Tower fire and Buncefield explosion and fire as well as in unique building designs like the Heron Tower (London) or the Space Shuttle Hangars in Florida.
Bio: Jose L. Torero (FREng, FRSE, CEng, PhD) is BRE Trust/RAEng Professor of Fire Safety Engineering and Director of the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society of Edinburgh and recipient of the 2008 Arthur B. Guise Medal from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (USA) and the 2011 Rasbash Medal from the Institution of Fire Engineers (UK) for eminent achievements in the science, engineering and education in Fire Safety. Author of more than 150 journal publications and 500 technical documents in conferences around the world. Member of many technical and standards committees, editor of Fire Safety Journal as well as editorial boards of diverse journals in the fields of architecture, combustion, energy and fire.
Leading expert in the development of fire safety solutions for complex environments that include spacecraft, tunnels, oil platforms, historic building, nuclear power plants and tall buildings among others. His work crosses the boundaries of civil, chemical, mechanical and aerospace engineering as well as architecture, sustainability and preservation of the environment. Participated in landmark investigations of WTC 1, 2 & 7 collapses, Madrid Windsor Tower fire and Buncefield explosion and fire as well as in unique building designs like the Heron Tower (London) or the Space Shuttle Hangars in Florida.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- Civil Engineering Seminar Series (Co-Organisers: Prof. Nikolas Geroliminis, Prof. Katrin Beyer)
Contact
- Prof. Aurelio Muttoni