Thermal simulation of prisms with concrete blocks in a fire situation

Abstract The purpose of the current study is to verify the thermal insulation capacity of concrete block masonry in a fire situation through the thermal simulation of prisms. Initially, a prism with mortar coating on the face exposed to fire was numerically simulated and compared to experimental results provided by a company in order to validate the block thermal properties. To represent air in the block cavities, fluid-structure interaction was used in ABAQUS software. The uncoated and mortar-coated prisms on both sides were analyzed in a fire situation. The thermal insulation of the uncoated prism was maintained for more than 60 minutes and with the application of coating on both faces there was an increase of 59% of this time. The thermal fields were generated, thus leading to future thermomechanical analysis.