Thermophysical properties of high–strength steel wires at high temperatures

Abstract

This paper experimentally investigates the thermophysical properties of high–strength steel wires (HSSWs) that are widely used in infrastructures to fill this knowledge gap in design standards and studies on the performance of cables in fires. The mass densities, specific heat capacities, and thermal conductivities of HSSW specimens with strengths of 1670, 1860, 1960, and 2160 MPa were measured at temperatures from 20 to 800 °C. Results show that compared with general hot-rolled structural steels, the specific heat capacity of grade 1960 and 2160 HSSWs is observably lower between 400 and 700 °C, and its peaks occur at higher temperatures. The thermal conductivity of HSSW steels is appreciably below that of hot-rolled steels. These measured thermophysical properties of HSSWs at high temperatures lay a critical material-level foundation for future heat transfer studies and safety evaluation of structural cables in fires.