Duplex stainless steel columns and beam-columns in case of fire

It is the purpose of this paper to evaluate the accuracy and safety of the currently
prescribed design rules in Eurocode 3: Part 1.2 for the evaluation of the resistance of duplex
stainless steel columns and beam-columns. This evaluation is carried out by performing
numerical simulations on Class1 and Class 2 stainless steel H-columns. These numerical
simulations are performed using the program SAFIR.
Eurocode 3 states that stainless steel structural members, subjected to high
temperatures, must be designed with the same formulae used for carbon steel members.
However, as these two materials have different constitutive laws, it should be expected that,
different formulae for the calculation of member stability should be used for fire design.
It is considered buckling in the two main cross-section axis, and, in the case of the
beam-columns, different bending moment diagrams.
Parametric studies of the behaviour of the duplex EN 1.4462 stainless steel grade
(austenitic-ferritic in Eurocode 3) columns and beam-columns subjected to fire are presented.