Life safety in single story steel frame buildings, part I – deterministic design

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss fire safety design of single-story, single compartment buildings and evaluates whether time to structural damage is a relevant criterion when lethal fire conditions develop long before any structural fire damage can occur.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed approach is demonstrated in a design case study of a steel truss in a typical Swedish single-story steel frame building.

Findings

While not complying with deemed to satisfy fire resistance ratings, it is argued that the proposed design still can fulfill the life safety objective.

Originality/value

This paper presents practical application of a conceptual paper presenting a general approach to structural fire safety design and the life safety objective.