Shear and anchorage behaviour of fire exposed hollow core slabs

The fire resistance of hollow core slabs is currently assessed considering flexural failure only. However, fire tests show that shear or anchorage failure can also govern the load bearing behaviour. This paper is based on the dissertation by the author1 and discusses existing and new fire tests. It also presents the development, calibration and validation of new FE models capable of simulating the shear and anchorage behaviour of fire exposed hollow core slabs. The load level, the thermal expansion of concrete, the ductility of concrete in tension and the restraint against thermal expansion by the supports are the main factors dominating the shear and anchorage behaviour. It is recommended to use the FE models for each type of HC slab on the market to determine the shear load limit for which shear and anchorage failure are avoided