Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Walls Under Fire: A Review

Fire has been a scourge of society for a very long time due to its impact on the human and economic aspects. Fire resistance is a characteristic of concrete buildings, and residential buildings made of concrete are often subject to fire. Fire causes serious damage to the concrete members, which may require substantial demolition. High temperatures decrease the stability and durability of concrete structures; therefore, understanding the effect of fire on concrete walls can help in reduce the environmental fire impact and lower rehabilitation costs. Several studies investigated the impact of fire on the response of concrete walls. This paper reviews previous studies until 2020. The paper aims to discuss the effect of fire load on the behaviour of concrete walls and panels. To this end, 102 previous studies were selected for the review. This paper commences by illustrating fire scenarios, heat and moisture transfer in concrete walls, and the influence of elevated temperature on concrete performance. This is followed by a discussion of structural analysis and failure limit states of concrete walls during fire. Next, the impact of applying different parameters on the structural and thermal behaviour of concrete walls exposed to fire is addressed, and significant parameters including axial load, lateral load, compressive strength, reinforcement ratio, concrete cover, moisture content, aggregate type, fire period, slenderness ratio, and load eccentricity are provided. Spalling, thermal response, and deformation of concrete walls during fire are also discussed. The paper concludes with recommendations for further studies.