ABSTRACT
It is important to understand the overarching requirements for structural performance in the case of Fire. The building shall be designed and constructed so that in the event of fire its stability will be maintained for a reasonable period and this defines the fundamental performance requirements for the structure of a building in fire. How this functional requirement is met may be interpreted in different ways? The loss of any element in fire results in the structure losing its stability if each element possesses sufficient resistance in fire, this ensures that the structure has sufficient load bearing capacity, Fire is an emergency, from which no structure, remains unaffected. Due to increased incidents of major fires in buildings; analysis, repairs and rehabilitation of fire damaged structures has become a topic of interest. R.C.C (Reinforced cement concrete) in relation to fire is relatively less explored because of the lesser use of Reinforced concrete structures in Europe/USA as compared to steel structures. In India, there is more use of Reinforced concrete structure as compared to steel and composite structure. There is an urgent need to collect more data & lay more emphasis on design oriented ‘Passive measures’ rather than just relying on firefighting measures known as ‘Active measures’. Ignorance on part of the consultants & civic authorities has resulted in structures that are sub-standard from fire resistance view point. There is an urgent need to gather additional information about performance of R.C.C. under fire in order to create a general awareness & improve the existing practices & Code provisions.
