MEng Civil and Structural Engineering

Fire safety is a requirement of building design and construction. Achieving fire safety has important implications on structural design that structural engineers should be aware of and be able to evaluate. After a brief introduction to building fire safety using the existing prescriptive approach, this unit will provide details of the different aspects of a quantitative, performance based engineering method for assessing fire resistance of structures, at both element and whole structural level. It will also introduce smoke control and means of escape. The academic knowledge will then be demonstrated by case studies from practical fire engineering applications, to be presented by an experienced fire engineering practitioner. The course is delivered as 24 hours of lectures (including 2 hours of an invited lecture of case study by an industrial practitioner) and 12 hours of supervised tutorial work. Assessment is 80% exam (3 hours) and 20% coursework. This unit is at the forefront of structural fire engineering and is informed by recent research progresses. It covers some multidisciplinary topics that are not in traditional civil and structural engineering syllabus but will benefit civil and structural engineers in their interactions with related professionals.

- To understand the requirements of fire safety precautions of buildings.

- To appreciate the importance and benefits of performance based fire engineering in the fire safety design of buildings.

- To be able to carry out quantitative assessment of fire resistance of structures, including fire behaviour, heat transfer and structural behaviour at elevated temperatures.

- To understand different options of smoke control to aid means of escape.

Exams - via script viewing

Report - on Blackboard