When unprotected steel columns are exposed to a prolonged, high-temperature fire, their typical structural failure mechanism is through buckling due to the severe degradation of the steel's mechanical properties. Initially, at ambient temperatures, steel possesses high yield strength and a high elastic modulus. Yield strength refers to the maximum stress a material can withstand before undergoing permanent deformation, while the elastic modulus, also known as Young's modulus, is a measure of a material's stiffness or resistance to elastic deformation. As the temperature of the steel column increases during a fire, both of these critical properties dramatically decrease. Above approximately 300°C, the steel begins to lose a significant po....
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