Influence of Key Parameters on Parametric Fire Development: A Eurocode-Based Study

International Journal of Civil Engineering

© 2025 by SSRG - IJCE Journal

Volume 12 Issue 7

Year of Publication : 2025

Authors : Riza Suwondo, Irpan Hidayat1, Made Suangga

10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V12I7P111

How to Cite?

Riza Suwondo, Irpan Hidayat1, Made Suangga, "Influence of Key Parameters on Parametric Fire Development: A Eurocode-Based Study," SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 12,  no. 7, pp. 123-129, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V12I7P111

Abstract:

Standard time–temperature curves are widely used in traditional structural fire safety designs. These curves make fire conditions easier to understand, but do not show how complicated true post-flashover fires are. To overcome these limitations, Eurocode EN 1991-1-2 introduced parametric fire models that consider factors such as ventilation, fire load density, wall material properties, and compartment geometry. This study investigated the impact of these key parameters on the development of parametric fire curves to support performance-based designs. Parametric analyses were performed on the baseline compartment while varying the number of openings, wall materials, building types, and compartment areas. The simulations used Eurocode-based formulations with realistic material and occupancy inputs. The results show that the opening factor significantly affects fire behaviour, where higher ventilation results in higher peak temperatures but shorter fire durations. The wall materials had minimal impact, although lightweight concrete showed slightly higher temperatures. The fire load density, based on building usage, influenced the duration of the heating phase, whereas larger compartments led to longer fire durations owing to increased thermal inertia. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating compartment-specific variables into fire scenarios and demonstrate that parametric fire curves offer a more accurate and reliable basis for structural fire safety in performance-based designs.

Keywords:

Compartment fire modelling, Fire performance, Natural fire, Parametric fire, Performance-based design.

References:

[1] Florian Put et al., “Model Uncertainty in a Parametric Fire Curve Approach: A Stochastic Correction Factor for the Compartment Fire Load Density,” Fire Safety Journal, vol. 144, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[2] Jason Martinez, and Ann E. Jeffers, “Structural Response of Steel-Concrete Composite Floor Systems under Traveling Fires,” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, vol. 186, pp. 1-49, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] Negar Elhami Khorasani, Maria Garlock, and Paolo Gardoni, “Fire Load: Survey Data, Recent Standards, and Probabilistic Models for Office Buildings,” Engineering Structures, vol. 58, pp. 152-165, 2014.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[4] ISO 834-2:2019, Fire-Resistance Tests — Elements of Building Construction, Part 2: Requirements and Recommendations for Measuring Furnace Exposure on Test Samples, 1st ed., International Organization for Standardization, pp. 1-14, 2019.
[Publisher Link]
[5] ASTM E119-20: Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, ASTM International, pp. 1-36, 2020.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[6] Danny Hopkin et al., Design Fires and Actions, International handbook of Structural Fire Engineering, Springer Cham, pp. 75-114, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[7] T. Gernay, and J.M. Franssen, “A Performance Indicator for Structures under Natural Fire,” Engineering Structures, vol. 100, pp. 94-103, 2015.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[8] Thomas Thienpont et al., “Burnout Resistance of Concrete Slabs: Probabilistic Assessment and Global Resistance Factor Calibration,” Fire Safety Journal, vol. 119, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[9] Thomas Gernay, “Fire Resistance and Burnout Resistance of Reinforced Concrete Columns,” Fire Safety Journal, vol. 104, pp. 67-78, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[10] EN 1991-1-2, “Eurocode 1: Actions on Structures - Part 1-2: General Actions - Actions on Structures Exposed to Fire,” The European Standard, pp. 1-61, 2002.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[11] European Commission, Competitive Steel Buildings through Natural Fire Safety Concepts - Final Report, Directorate-General for Research, pp. 1-742, 2002.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[12] Ulf Wickström, “Temperature Calculation of Insulated Steel Columns Exposed to Natural Fire,” Fire Safety Journal, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 219-225, 1981-1982.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[13] Sven Erik Magnusson, and Sven Thelandersson, “Temperature-time Curves for the Complete Process of Fire Development – A Theoretical Study of Wood Fuels in Enclosed Spaces,” Lund Institute of Technology, pp. 1-8-181, 1970.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[14] Egle Rackauskaite et al., “Structural Analysis of Multi-Storey Steel Frames Exposed to Travelling Fires and Traditional Design Fires,” Engineering Structures, vol. 150, pp. 271-87, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[15] Jian Jiang et al., “Disproportionate Collapse of Steel-framed Gravity Buildings under Travelling Fires,” Engineering Structures, vol. 245, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] Jamie Stern-Gottfried, and Guillermo Rein, “Travelling Fires for Structural Design–Part I: Literature Review,” Fire Safety Journal, vol. 54, pp. 74-85, 2012.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[17] Yiwen Wu et al., “Scale Test of Large Space Stainless Steel Structure Subjected to Natural Fire,” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, vol. 210, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[18] Jiahao Hu et al., “Study on the Applicability of Scaling Laws in Tunnel Fires under Natural Ventilation Conditions,” Fire Safety Journal, vol. 152, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[19] Jethro David Howard, Ignacio Paya-Zaforteza, and Guillem Peris-Sayol, “Parametric Fire Curves for I-girder Bridges Submitted to under Deck Tanker Fires,” Engineering Structures, vol. 306, pp. 1-16, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[20] Benarous Abdallah et al., “On the Derivation of Temperature-Time Curves for Large Scale Compartment Fires, 2023 53rd ISTANBUL International Conference on “Advances in Science, Engineering & Technology”, Istanbul (Turkiye), pp. 14-20, 2023.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[21] J. Zehfuss, and D. Hosser, “A Parametric Natural Fire Model for the Structural Fire Design of Multi-Storey Buildings, Fire Safety Journal, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 115-126, 2007.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]