Experimental research on structural concrete masonry walls subjected to fire

The construction in masonry is one of the oldest ways of construction. However, the knowledge regarding its structural behavior is still not well consolidated, especially regarding extreme conditions, such as fire. Although the few available studies regarding structural masonry under fire conditions show some promising results, still the available normative documents seem to have some limitations regarding the topic, which highlights the need for further research, especially experimental, in this field. This paper presents the results of a study on the behavior of structural masonry walls subjected to simulated fire conditions. The specimens were built with three cells concrete blocks, which are common in European and US construction. In the fire resistance tests the walls were subjected to the action of a serviceability in-plane load and the ISO 834 fire curve. Temperatures were measured in the furnace, while temperatures and displacements were measured in the specimens. The obtained results were also compared with the Eurocode 6 part 1.2 predictions, for similar cases