This article examines the influence of thermal boundary conditions used for the standard fire resistance test compared to those, which naturally exist in actual building construction. Two protected structural steel assemblies that vary in connection proximity to columns are analyzed. Using finite element modeling, the two assemblies are exposed to a simulated uncontrolled office fire with varying thermal boundary conditions. The modeling results demonstrate an acute effect that heat dissipation may have on the steel temperature distribution of a given structural assembly in an actual application.
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