Title
Explicit thermal creep in modeling of steel structures in fire
Authors
[ 1 ] Instytut Analizy Konstrukcji, Wydział Inżynierii Lądowej i Transportu, Politechnika Poznańska | [ 2 ] Wydział Inżynierii Lądowej i Transportu, Politechnika Poznańska | [ 3 ] Czech Technical University in Prague | [ P ] employee
Scientific discipline (Law 2.0)
Year of publication
2026
Published in
Article type
scientific article
Publication language
english
Abstract
EN This study investigates the influence of thermal creep in numerical modeling of steel structures exposed to fire. Current design standards, such as Eurocode 3, typically incorporate creep implicitly within stress–strain relationships, an approach that may lead to inaccuracies, particularly under varying heating rates. To address these limitations, the paper proposes an explicit creep modeling method, which decomposes the total strain into distinct components, including a creep strain governed by a hyperbolic sine law. The model is calibrated against Eurocode 3 data to replicate anisothermal creep behavior and is validated through case studies, including a steel beam subjected to thermal and mechanical loading. The material model has been validated using numerical examples of a single truss element and a tensile specimen model. The structural model has been examined on the basis of a beam model composed of shell elements. The results demonstrate that explicit modeling is critical to accurately predict structural failure due to creep, which may be overlooked by implicit models. In addition, the findings highlight the increased impact of creep in slower heating scenarios. The proposed approach improves existing fire engineering methodologies by allowing for more reliable predictions of creep-induced structural failure.
Date of online publication
12.12.2025
Pages (from - to)
104617-1 - 104617-11
Comments
Article Number: 104617
Ministry points / journal
140
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