Development of a Plug-and-Play Fire Protection System for Steel Columns

The paper presents the development of an innovative cost-effective fire protection system for steel columns, which is quick and easy to install and to dismantle. In terms of assembly, this protection is designed to be a plug-and-play system, which is made of two U-shaped half-protections that encapsulate a column. They are composed of high-density rock wool boards arranged in U-shape steel sheets presenting a system of claws to ensure their connection. Small-scale experimental tests were performed to evaluate the insulating efficiency of the system and the thermal behaviour of the connection claws. Numerical models were then developed with the finite elements software ABAQUS and SAFIR and were successively calibrated based on experimental results. Subsequently, full-scale experimental tests were performed according to the European standard of regulation EN13381-4 and the results certified that the fire protection is effective for steel profiles with section factor ranging from 42 to 103 m−1 to maintain the steel temperature below 550 °C when exposed to a standard fire for 120 min. Finally, a cost analysis was performed to attest the competitivity of the plug-and-play fire protection system by considering direct and indirect costs.