Behavior of Structural Building Materials in Fire

A special issue of Fire (ISSN 2571-6255).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 June 2026 | Viewed by 1244

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, ISEP-IPP, Porto, Portugal
Interests: solid mechanics; thermal; fire; connections (wood, steel); computational mechanics and biomechanics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Building materials exposed to fire is an engineering topic devoted to the study of all fire-resistant materials to protect buildings from damage.

Most common building materials can protect the structure but allow fire to spread. Therefore, there are many engineering applications where such problems need to be solved using fire safety rules. Additionally, new materials are developed and must be tested to enable fire resistance. Studies conducted to understand the behavior of structural building materials in the case of fire include thermal analysis, heat transfer, thermal effects, numerical techniques, fire tests, testing material properties, and all protective issues.

Building materials in fire situations is a very important field of research due to current challenges and the need for ever-innovative solutions. The study of structural behavior and the characterization of new materials applied in different areas can result in new engineering solutions being applied to this area.

This Special Issue, “Behavior of Structural Building Materials in Fire”, aims to bring together the latest developments and challenges to strengthen researchers’ knowledge around the world.

This research will provide a thorough understanding and a basis for future research in the field of building materials exposed to fire.

This Special Issue aims to showcase contributions based on experimental, theoretical, or computational approaches and their interactions. An important feature will be the interdisciplinary work produced by researchers from different areas, such as mechanical engineering, civil engineering, thermal engineering, and materials engineering.

This publication will provide a clear and complete overview of the applied fields and their contributions to new fire resistance solutions. New trends will be discussed along with solutions that are still under investigation.

Original articles addressing, but not limited to, the following topics are welcome for submission:

  • Structural and thermal analysis;
  • Finite element modeling applied to fire solutions;
  • Fire tests;
  • Fire protection vs. fire resistance;
  • Fire safety equipment;
  • Fire-resistant building materials.
Prof. Dr. Elza Maria Morais Fonseca
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fire is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • structural and thermal analysis
  • fire tests
  • fire protection
  • fire resistance
  • fire safety

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 2024 KB  
Article
Fire Performance of Ventilated Rendered Facades with EPS Insulation: Full-Scale DIN-Type Evaluation and Influence of Cavities on Flame Spread
by Aušra Stankiuvienė and Ritoldas Šukys
Fire 2026, 9(3), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire9030113 - 3 Mar 2026
Viewed by 809
Abstract
The fire performance of ventilated facade systems incorporating combustible insulation remains a critical issue in contemporary building design. This study presents a full-scale natural-fire test of a ventilated, rendered facade system containing 150 mm expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation, conducted in accordance with the [...] Read more.
The fire performance of ventilated facade systems incorporating combustible insulation remains a critical issue in contemporary building design. This study presents a full-scale natural-fire test of a ventilated, rendered facade system containing 150 mm expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation, conducted in accordance with the DIN 4102-20 methodology. Temperature measurements were recorded at key facade locations via K-type thermocouples, and flame spread, materials melting, and degradation were documented through visual observations. The combustion chamber reached a peak temperature of 912 °C, while the thermocouple located above the opening recorded a maximum temperature of 786 °C. No sustained flaming or debris above the 3.5 m height limit was observed, yet significant internal EPS melting occurred throughout the cavity. These findings underscore the potency of the “chimney effect” in ventilated cavities, highlight the limitations of the current acceptance criteria, and provide evidence relevant to ongoing efforts to develop more coherent approaches to facade fire-safety assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Behavior of Structural Building Materials in Fire)
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