Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NSF NHERI 2024: Development of a Parametrized Fragility Database for Performance-Based Structural Fire Engineering

This project develops a database of fire fragility functions for steel moment frame columns using probabilistic performance-based analyses. Fragility functions estimate the probability of failure under specific fire loads, making them essential for assessing structural fire risk. This project presents a fragility database, parametrized by the demand-to-capacity ratios (DCRs) and column section sizes. The database provides a resource for structural engineers to evaluate fire performance efficiently, without the need for extensive simulations. It can be used to inform numerical models and risk assessments, supporting structural design and analysis of unprotected steel columns exposed to fire. This project addresses a critical gap in structural fire engineering by creating the first comprehensive database of fragility functions for analyzing structural fire behavior. The primary audiences are structural engineers and researchers in fire risk and resilience.