Design and implementation of the computer code fire safety of structural steelwork (Fiross)

Directorate-General For Research And Innovation European Commission

Description

Industrial research and development

Sujets

• Sciences et techniques

Informations

• Publié par: DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-RESEARCH-AND-INNOVATION-EUROPEAN-COMMISSION
• Nombre de lectures: 9
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
SCIENCE
RESEARCH
DEVELOPMENT
technical steel research
Properties and in-service performance
Design and
implementation of the
computer code fire
safety of structural
steelwork (Fiross)
Report
EUR 18427 EN STEEL RESEARCH EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Edith CRESSON, Member of the Commission
responsible for research, innovation, education, training and youth
DG XII/C.2 — RTD actions: Industrial and materials technologies —
Materials and steel
Contact: Mr H. J.-L. Martin
Address: European Commission, rue de la Loi 200 (MO 75 1/10),
B-1049 Brussels — Tel. [phone]; fax [phone] European Commission
technical steel research
Properties and in-service performance
esign and implementation of the computer code
fire safety of structural steelwork (Fiross)
L. N. Tomlinson
British Steel, Swinden Technology Centre
Moorgate
Rotherham S60 3AR
United Kingdom
Dipl.-Ing. V. Hüller
Studiengesellschaft Stahlanwendung
Breitestraße 69
D-40213 Düsseldorf
J. B. Schleich
Profilarbed-recherches
RPS Department
L-4009 Esch-sur-Alzette
J. Kruppa
Centre technique industriel de la construction métallique
Domaine de Saint-Paul
BP64
F-78470 Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse
L. Twilt
TNO Bouw
Lange Kleiweg 5
Rijswijk
2600 AA Delft
Netherlands
Contract No 7210-SA/614/117/313/831/514
1 December 1991 to 30 November 1994
Final report
Directorate-General
Science, Research and Development
1998 EUR 18427 EN LEGAL NOTICE
Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission
is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information.
A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet.
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).
Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1998
ISBN 92-828-4651-2
© European Communities, 1998
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Luxembourg
PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER TABLE OF CONTENTS
5 1 INTRODUCTION
6 2 HARDWARE & OPERATING SYSTEM
8 3 SETUP OF FTROSS
8
3.1 General design criteria
9
3.2 The components of FIROSS
9
3.3 Distribution of tasks
4 DESIGN ITEMS 11
5 SPECIALFEATURES 12
6 COMMERCIALIZATION OF FIROSS 14
ANNEX A DETAILS ON PROJECT AND PARTICIPANTS 23
ANNEX Β REVIEW WITH REGARD TO THE THE BASIC MODULES
24
ANNEX C THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF FIROSS
27
C.I CENTRAL MODULE
27
C.2 BASIC MODULES
28
C.3 DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
29
ANNEX D FULL LIST OF INPUT PARAMETERS FOR FIROSS
30
ANNEX E FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION & TECHNICAL DESIGN OF FIROSS
33 LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 : Global structure of FIROSS 17
Figure 2: Design items ¡g
Fig. 3a: Windowed data entry 29
Fig. 3b: Report of results (summary + complete)0
Fig. 3c: Data entry for control vs. design calculation ~i
Fig. 4: Allocation scheme of income _1. INTRODUCTION
The FIROSS1 project started in February 1992 under the name "Computer Aided Fire Design for Steel
and Composite Structures". The main purpose of the project was to produce a comprehensive computer
program which should assist designers of steel constructions by providing easy access to a variety of
calculation methods offered by the Eurocodes. These were at that time under development and have
recently been finalised.
Several research partners (details are given in annex A) have available computer programs for the
calculation of specific situations; these programs were however of completely different nature, with
differences in appearance to the user (user interface), in notation, language, etc. The main tasks of the
FIROSS project consisted therefore of providing a common user interface for the calculation programs,
and modifying the existing programs so they could fit into the common format.
At the time the project started, rapid developments were going on in the market of personal computers
and the software for these computers. These developments forced the steering group of the project to
rethink the original plans on the hardware and software platform that the computer program was targeted
on. More specifically it was decided to drop the Macintosh platform, and to produce not a DOS program
but a Microsoft™ Windows program. It was anticipated that at the time FIROSS would become available
to potential users, such as designers and authorities, marketing considerations would make it essential
that the program would run under the Windows system.
The decision to develop FIROSS as as program has caused a number of problems that have held
up the development ofS at some points. On the other hand, it has made it possible to introduce a
number of features in FIROSS which give it the professional 'look and feel" that will give it good chances
of acceptance by the users.
This report discusses the scope of FIROSS and its global setup, and documents the technical contents of
the major components of the program developed within the scope of this project. For documentation of
the calculation modules themselves, reference is made to the contributing organisation from which they
are originating.
The report is accompanied by a CD-ROM which includes a full installation procedure for the pilot
version of FIROSS.
On behalf of all partners involved,
L. Twilt
(convenor, chairman Steering Committee)
P.H.E. van de Leur
(secretary Steering Committee)
Acronym for: Fire Safety Of Structural Steelwork 2. HARDWARE & OPERATING SYSTEM
The Intel PC hardware and the MS Windows operating system have been selected for the development of
FIROSS in an early stage of the project. The following main arguments were put forward for this
decision:
1. The interest in other possible hardware platforms (Macintosh, Unix workstations) was
investigated, and found insufficient to warrant the effort in terms of time and costs involved in
developing and maintaining for these completely different platforms. Some so-called inter-
platform developing tools exist, but even now these cannot be considered sufficiently mature to
base the entire development of FIROSS on them.
2. Windows has in the meantime become the de facto standard for personal computer software. By
giving FIROSS the same look and feel as any other Windows application, acceptance by the
market is promoted.
3. As opposed to ordinary DOS programs, the Windows system has well-defined and advanced
methods to link to (yet unforeseen) external programs, such as "cold-design" structural programs
or post-processing programs.
4. There is a generally accepted development toolkit (SDK), which makes it possible to generate the
package from different partners' contributions, while still guaranteeing the same "look and feel".
5. Being built from scratch, known limitations of existing computer programs developed by the
project partners, e.g. BRAWESTA (TNO), FISIS (ARBED), SLAB (CTICM), can be avoided.
6. Graphical information can be included in a more straightforward way than in "plain DOS"
programs. This is thought to be an important aspect for a program aimed at non-experts as users.
7. There was some concern that, FIROSS being a Windows application, it cannot run on a computer
without Windows installed. Those potential users who have at the time of publication no system
capable of running Windows are "left in the cold". It was however considered that at the time of
release the acceptance of Windows would be widespread, which is indeed the case.
8. Programming for Windows is rather more complicated than programming for plain DOS which
can to a large extent be done by the structural engineers involved. Programming for Windows
requires more involvement of software specialists. The major specific Windows programming
efforts are concentrated in the contributions of one partner, which was considered acceptable.
Some specific advantages to the user of having FIROSS as a Windows application as opposed to a DOS
application are outlined below:
1. Easy access to the computer hardware through a standardized interface (screen, printer). Thus, no
specific drivers are required for connecting to a printer: these are supplied and handled by the
Windows system; the same goes for mouse or keyboard input.
2. The user is presented with an user interface which is familiar from any other Windows
application. Key commands mean the same thing. The menu at the top of the screen contains the same components. This means that learning to use the program is much easier than learning a
similar DOS program.
3. Direct exchange of data with other Windows applications such as word processors or spread­
sheets through the "clipboard"
4. Multi tasking: as a "real" Windows program, FIROSS allows real multitasking, i.e. the user does
not have to go through tedious processes of opening and closing applications when carrying out
an analysis involving other a