Performance of steel-concrete composite bridges in fire

In assessing the damage on bridges caused by a fire, we should not only consider the possibility of structural collapse, which often is avoided thanks to the beneficial effect of the ventilation that cools the hot fumes propagating during fire. Indeed checks on the maximum deflection that the structure can undergo during fire can be more significant for the functionality after fire of electrical, gas and water systems often included in the bridge structures connecting different urban and extra urban areas. Therefore, fluid dynamic and thermomechanical numerical analyses were performed to simulate the behavior of typical bridges of the national highway during a fire, to identify possible fire risk mitigation for avoiding the collapse of the structures and the damage of the facilities.