The Influence of Pressure in the Pore System on Fire Spalling of Concrete

Fire spalling of concrete is often attributed to the pressure in the pore system. Recent results from fire tests on Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) have shown that the connection between pressure in the capillary pore system and fire spalling of concrete is not obvious [Jansson (2006) Proceedings from the 4th international workshop, Aveiro, Portugal, pp 747-756]. This issue has been investigated by performing pressure measurements on SCC and a traditional vibrated concrete designed for tunnel construction. In the tests conducted on SCC data from exposure to the hydrocarbon (HC) fire curve are presented. In the tests conducted on vibrated concrete, measurements were performed in concrete exposed to the standard fire curve (EN1363-1) and the Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) curve. The highest pressures in the two test series were measured in the concretes that did not exhibit spalling during fire. One conclusion from the tests is that pressure in the capillary system is not the driving force for spalling during fire exposure. However, pressure is involved in the redistribution of moisture during fire exposure. A new theory is proposed to explain the spalling reducing function of PP-fibres based on the presence and movement of moisture.