In general, tunnels are designed with an abundance of safety regarding structural integrity, however, there can be uncertainty related to structural performance after a fire event. The residual condition of a tunnel after a fire is dependent on fire intensity and duration. The goal of this study is to correlate visual and material characteristics of structural and non-structural components of tunnels with fire temperature and exposure time. This can be further related to the residual capacity of structural members in a tunnel, providing insight into safety and overall functionality. Experimental results show that the visual response of materials with heat exposure is variable and dependent on a number of factors. A wide range of materials were studied to establish a well-versed collection of data that may be used in a post-fire inspection. In addition, mechanical testing of three configurations of structural slabs exposed to different heating regimens was conducted. The influence of heat on a structural member may be complex, and was found to be minimal for the heating regimens and loading procedures applied. This work can serve as an aid for post-fire investigation by providing methods to estimate fire intensity and duration through visual observation and mechanical testing.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:masters_theses_2-2349 |
| Date | 09 August 2023 |
| Creators | Viglas, James |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Masters Theses |
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