Modeling of membrane action in floor slabs subjected to fire

Through observations from experiments and fire-caused damage in real buildings, it is found that membrane action plays an important role in enhancing the fire-resistant capacity of floor slabs. Considering the mechanism of membrane action in slabs subjected to fire, an explicit theoretical model is proposed. Based on the force and moment equilibrium requirement on slabs in fire, formulas for calculating the ultimate load- bearing capacity of floor slabs in fire conditions considering the effects of membrane action are obtained. The effectiveness of the theory for modeling membrane action of floor slabs subjected to fire is validated through satisfactory comparison with results from experiments and different theoretical simulations.