High-Temperature Properties of Stainless Steel for Building Structures

Abstract

This paper reports high-temperature properties of stainless steel for structural use in comparison with conventional carbon steels. Because of the elements contained, stainless steel retains strength at high temperatures. Through high-temperature tensile tests, Young's modulus tests and creep tests, the constitutive equations for a fire-safe design relating to the stress-strain and creep strain-time relationships at high temperatures were formulated. It was made clear that stainless steels have relatively large work-hardening of stress-stain curves at high temperatures after the strain surpasses the elastic limit and thereby the fire resistance of stainless steel frames is considered to be excellent. Also, high-temperature thermal constants such as the thermal expansion rate and the heat transfer rate were measured, and it was made clear that these properties should be taken into account upon fire-safe design. Through these studies, it became possible to simulate thermal and structural behavior of stainless-steel frames during fire.