Structural Fire Engineering
Fee: $1,295 / Online / Nov 19 - 20, 2026 / Course Code: 17-1121-ONL26
OVERVIEW
Please note, This instructor-led course has specific dates and times:
This course is held online over 2 days on the following schedule (All times in Eastern Time Zone): 9:30 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (Will include the usual breaks) Course participants are expected to have some elementary understanding of structural design and the analysis of simple structures. In order to gain the maximum benefit from this seminar, participants are encouraged to read the following texts in advance: •Part 4 of the National Building Code of Canada •Appendix D - Fire-Performance Ratings (Division B) of the National Building Code of Canada •Kodur V, and Naser MZ. Structural Fire Engineering. McGraw-Hill Education; 2020
After participating in this course, you will be able to:
- Understand the basic strategies applied for achieving fire safety in buildings
- Comprehend the role of structural fire safety within the context of overall fire safety
- Understand the effect of elevated temperatures on the properties of construction materials
- Develop optimum strategies for achieving the required fire resistance
- Undertake fire resistance design of reinforced concrete and structural steel members
- Solve common structural fire engineering problems
Description
Fire represents one of the most severe hazards encountered by the built infrastructure. Thus, providing appropriate fire resistance measures to structural members is an important requirement in building design. Currently, fire safety design is carried out through prescriptive-based approaches. These approaches have numerous drawbacks, and to overcome these drawbacks, rational fire design approaches are being promoted in many countries. There needs to be more awareness and training on applying rational fire design approaches, as most engineering curricula do not cover fire safety. This course aims to introduce rational design approaches for undertaking structural fire safety design.
This two-day workshop will focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of fire safety, mainly focusing on structural fire engineering. This course will review the basics of fire safety and building code provisions for fire resistance. Different strategies that can be applied to overcome the destructive effects of fire in buildings and built infrastructure will be discussed. The behaviour of materials and structures under elevated temperature exposure will be illustrated, and the techniques for assessing the fire resistance of structural members will be presented.
The application of different methodologies for fire resistance design and construction of steel and concrete structures will be demonstrated through numerical examples. The course provides the fundamentals without delving into complicated mathematical formulas.
Who Should Attend
Architects • Structural Engineers • Civil and Mechanical Engineers • Fabricators & Manufacturers of Structural Systems • Design engineers and planners of the industrial plants and facilities • Property Managers • Municipal Building Officials • Regulatory Officials and Building Inspectors • Field Review Personnel • Project Engineers • Others wanting to learn more about Fire Safety and Structural Fire Engineering
Special Features & Requirements
Course participants are expected to have some elementary understanding of structural design and the analysis of simple structures.
In order to gain the maximum benefit from this seminar, participants are encouraged to read the following texts in advance:
- Part 4 of the National Building Code of Canada
- Appendix D - Fire-Performance Ratings (Division B) of the National Building Code of Canada
- Kodur V, and Naser MZ. Structural Fire Engineering. McGraw-Hill Education; 2020
SYLLABUS
Day I
Welcome, Introduction, Course Preview, Learning Outcomes, and Assessment Method
Module 1- Introduction to Fire Safety
- The magnitude of Fire Problems in Built Infrastructure
- Importance of Fire Safety
- Structural Fire Safety within the Context of Overall Fire Safety
- Fire Resistance Requirements
- Codes and Standards
- Prescriptive and Performance-based Design
Module 2- Fire Safety in Buildings
- Fire Safety Objectives
- Process of Fire Development
- Fire Protection Systems
- Fire Safety Concepts Tree
- Fire Resistance Provisions
- Controlling Fire Spread through Fire Resistance
Module 3-Effect of Fire on Materials and Structures
- Effect of Temperature on Properties of Materials
- Effect of Fire on the Behavior of Structures
- Failure Limit States under Fire Conditions
Module 4- Fire Resistance Evaluation - Standard Tests & Calculation Methods
- Methods of Assessing Fire Resistance
- Fire Resistance Tests
- Performance Criteria
- Non-standard Evaluations
- Calculation Methods for Evaluating Fire Resistance -
- Fire Resistance of Assemblies
Day II
Module 5-Fire Resistance of Steel Structures
- The behaviour of Steel Structures in Fire
- Properties of Steel at Elevated Temperatures
- Strategies for Achieving Fire Resistance
- Protection Systems
- Calculation Methods for Evaluating Fire Resistance
- Design of Steel Members Exposed to Fire
- Response of Structural Frames
Module 6- Fire Resistance of Concrete Structures
- The behaviour of Concrete Structures in Fire
- Properties of Concrete at Elevated Temperatures
- Fire-Induced Spalling in Concrete Structures
- Strategies for Achieving Fire Resistance
- Calculation Methods for Evaluating Fire Resistance
- Design of Concrete Members Exposed to Fire
- Strategies for Enhancing fire performance of modern (new) concrete
Questions and Answers, Feedback on Achievement of Learning Outcomes
INSTRUCTOR
Director, Center on Structural Fire Engi — Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering
East Lansing, MI
Dr. Venkatesh Kodur is a University Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centre on Structural Fire Engineering and Diagnostics at Michigan State University. He is an internationally recognized scholar for his contributions to structural, material and fire engineering. His research interests include Fire resistance analysis and design of structural systems, material performance at elevated temperatures and Building collapse investigations. Dr. Kodur has published more than 450 peer-reviewed papers in journals and conferences and has given numerous keynote presentations at major international conferences. As per Google Scholar, he has over 14,500 citations with an "h" index of 65.
Dr. Kodur's contributions to the Civil Engineering and Fire Protection Engineering professions have been recognized by peers through prestigious honours and awards. He has been elected as a Fellow of six Institutes/Academies: the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the Structural Engineering Institute, the American Concrete Institute, and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. He is a professional engineer, Associate Editor of the Journal of Structural Engineering and Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, editorial board member of five leading journals, Chairman of ASCE(SEI)-SFPE 29 (Fire) Standards Committee, and a member of the UK-EPSRC College of Reviewers. He has won many awards and prestigious appointments, including the Michigan State University "University Distinguished Professor" Award, American Institute of Steel Construction Faculty Fellowship Award, MSU Distinguished Faculty Award, NRCC (Government of Canada) Outstanding Achievement Award, Fulbright Scholar Award; "INFOSYS Visiting Chair Professor" appointment at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, and NATO Award for collaborative research.
Most notably, Dr. Kodur was part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and American Society of Civil Engineers/Society of Fire Protection Engineers high profile "Experts Team" that investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings due to the September 11 attacks.
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