Numerical simulation of composite slabs with steel deck under fire conditions

A composite slab consists of a concrete topping cast on the top of a steel deck. The concrete is usually reinforced with a steel mesh on the top and may also be reinforced using individual rebars. The steel deck also acts as reinforcement and may be directly exposed to accidental fire conditions. This composite solution is widely used in every type of buildings which require fire resistance, in accordance to regulations and standards. The scope of this investigation concerns the fire rating for insulation (I). Numerical simulation was developed, using Matlab PDE toolbox and ANSYS, to find out the thermal effects of standard fire exposure. The results of the numerical simulation are compared with experimental results available in the literature in order to validate our approach. The results are also compared with the simplified method proposed by Eurocode 4-part 1.2.