Keywords: reinforced concrete, elevated temperature, finite element, heat distribution.

This paper investigates how high temperatures affect the load-bearing capacity of reinforced concrete beams using finite element analysis. The study aims to address a critical knowledge gap in the design of concrete buildings that are susceptible to fire and help prevent overall structure failure. The research focuses on uncertainties associated with the distribution of temperature within reinforced concrete beams, with the aim of providing valuable insights that can enhance the safety and reliability of concrete structures under fire conditions. The process of modelling reinforced concrete beams at high temperatures involved the use of reliability analysis, which took into account the uncertainty surrounding the distribution of temperature. To regulate the process, a limit in the form of a reliability index was introduced. To simulate the performance of the considered beams under high temperatures, a finite element model that had been validated was utilized, before being used to investigate the effect of different concrete cover thicknesses and heat distribution scenarios. The findings indicate that increasing the concrete cover can lead to a higher load capacity of the beams, with higher maximum temperatures achieved when heat is applied to all three surfaces of the beams. Moreover, the study considers the effect of uncertainties in temperature distribution, which results in different load capacities for different concrete covers.

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