• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.459-484
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• 2005

In recent years, the use of steel tube confined concrete (STCC) columns has been the interests of many structural engineers. The present study is an attempt to study the monotonic and cyclic behaviours of STCC columns. For the monotonic behaviours, a series of tests on STCC stub columns (twenty one), and beam-columns (twenty) were carried out. The main parameters varied in the tests are: (1) column section types, circular and square; (2) tube diameter (or width) to thickness ratio, from 40 to 162, and (3) load eccentricity ratio (e/r), from 0 to 0.5. For the cyclic behaviours, the test parameters included the sectional types and the axial load level (n). Twelve STCC column specimens, including 6 specimens with circular sections and 6 specimens with square sections were tested under constant axial load and cyclically increasing flexural loading. Comparisons are made with predicted column strengths and flexural stiffness using the existing codes. It was found that STCC columns exhibit very high levels of energy dissipation and ductility, particularly when subjected to high axial loads. Generally, the energy dissipation ability of the columns with circular sections was much higher than those of the specimens with square sections. Comparisons are made with predicted column strengths and flexural stiffness using the existing codes such as AIJ-1997, AISCLRFD- 1994, BS5400-1979 and EC4-1994.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.669-682
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• 2017

The use of ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) in composite columns offers numerous structural benefits, and has received recent research attention. However, the information regarding the behavior of steel tube confined concrete (STCC) columns employing UHPC has been extremely limited. Thus, this paper presents an overview of previous experimental studies on circular STCC columns with taking into account various concrete strengths to point out their distinctive features. The effect of the confinement factor and the diameter to thickness ratio on both strength and ductility in circular STCC columns employing UHPC was investigated. The applicability of current design codes such as EC4, AISC, AIJ and some available analytical models for concrete confined by steel tube was also validated by the comparison of ultimate loads between the prediction and the test results of Schneider (2006) and Xiong (2012). To predict the stress-strain curves for confined UHPC in circular STCC stub columns, a simplified model was proposed and verified by the comparison with experimental stress-strain curves.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.229-238
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• 2017

This paper presents a combined numerical and theoretical study on the composite action between steel and concrete of circular steel tube confined concrete (STCC) stub columns under axial compressive loading with a full theoretical elasto-plastic model and finite element (FE) model in comparison with experimental results. Based on continuum mechanics, the elasto-plastic model for STCC stub columns was established and the analysis was realized by a FORTRAN program and the three dimensional FE model was developed using ABAQUS. The steel ratio of the circular STCC columns were defined in range of 0.5% to 2% to analyze the composite action between steel tube and concrete, and make a further study on the advantages of the circular STCC columns. By comparing the results using the elasto-plastic methods with the parametric analysis result of FE model, the appropriate friction coefficient between the steel tube and core concrete was defined as 0.4 to 0.6. Based on ultimate balance theory, the formula of ultimate load capacity applying to the circular STCC stub columns was developed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.517-527
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• 2017

In this paper, the effect of active confinement on the compressive behaviour of circular steel tube-confined concrete (STCC) and concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns is investigated. In STCC columns the axial load is only applied to the concrete core, while in CFST columns the load is carried by the whole composite section. A new method is introduced to apply confining pressure on fresh concrete by laterally prestressing steel tubes. In order to achieve different prestressing levels, short-term and long-term pressures are applied to the fresh concrete. Three groups of STCC and CFST specimens (passive, S-active and L-active groups) are tested under axial loads. The results including stress-strain relationships of composite column components, secant modulus of elasticity, and volumetric strain are presented and discussed. Based on the elastic-plastic theory, the behaviour of the steel tube is also analyzed during elastic, yielding, and strain hardening stages. The results show that using the proposed prestressing method can considerably improve the compressive behaviour of both STCC and CFST specimens, while increasing the prestressing level has insignificant effects. By applying prestressing, the linear range in the stress-strain curve of STCC specimens increases by almost twice as much, while the improvement is negligible in CFST specimens.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.323-337
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• 2017

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive experimental investigation on the compressive behaviour of steel tube-confined concrete (STCC) stub columns with active and passive confinement. To create active confinement in STCC columns, an innovative technique is used in which steel tube is laterally pre-tensioned while the concrete core is simultaneously pre-compressed by applying pressure on fresh concrete. A total of 135 STCC specimens with active and passive confinement are tested under axial compression load and their compressive strength, ultimate strain capacity, axial and lateral stress-strain curves and failure mode are evaluated. The test variables include concrete compressive strength, outer diameter to wall thickness ratio of steel tube and prestressing level. It is shown that applying active confinement on STCC specimens can considerably improve their mechanical properties. However, applying higher prestressing levels and keeping the applied pressure for a long time do not considerably affect the mechanical properties of actively confined specimens. Based on the results of this study, new empirical equations are proposed to estimate the axial strength and ultimate strain capacity of STCC stub columns with active and passive confinement.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.161-171
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• 2020

In this paper, an experimental study was conducted on the compressive behavior of steel tube confined concrete (STCC) and concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns with active and passive confinement. To create active confinement in the STCC and CFST specimens, an innovative method was used in this study, in which by applying pressure on the fresh concrete, the steel tube was laterally pretensioned and the concrete core was compressed simultaneously. Of the benefits of this technique are improving the composite column behavior, without the use of additives and without the need for vibration, and achieving high prestressing levels. To achieve lower and higher prestressing levels, short and long term pressures were applied to the specimens, respectively. Nineteen STCC and CFST specimens in three groups of passive, short-term active, and long-term active confinement were subjected to axial compression, and their mechanical properties including the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and axial strain were evaluated. The results showed that the proposed method of prestressing the STCC columns led to a significant increase in the compressive strength (about 60%), initial modulus of elasticity (about 130%) as well as a significant reduction in the axial strain (about 45%). In the CFST columns, the prestressing led to a considerable increase in the compressive strength, a small effect on the initial and secant modulus of elasticity and an increase in the axial strain (about 55%). Moreover, increased prestressing levels negligibly affected the compressive strength of STCCs and CFSTs but slightly increased the elastic modulus of STCCs and significantly decreased that of CFSTs.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.469-481
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• 2017

This paper aims to analytically investigate the effect of shear stress at the concrete-steel interface on the mechanical behavior of the circular steel tube-confined concrete (STCC) stub columns with active and passive confinement subjected to axial compression. Nonlinear 3D finite element models divided into the four groups, i.e. circumferential-grooved, talc-coated, lubricated, and normal groups, with active and passive confinement were developed. An innovative method was used to simulate the actively-confined specimens, and then, the results of the finite element models were compared with those of the experiments previously conducted by the authors. It was revealed that both the predicted peak compressive strength and stress-strain curves have good agreement with the corresponding values measured for the confined columns. Then, the mechanical properties of the active and passive specimens such as the concrete-steel interaction, longitudinal and hoop stresses of the steel tube, confining pressure applied to the concrete core, and compressive stress-strain curves were analyzed. Furthermore, a parametric study was performed to explore the effects of the concrete compressive strength, steel tube diameter-to-wall thickness ratio, and prestressing level on the compressive behavior of the STCC columns. The results indicate that reducing or removing the interfacial shear stress in the active and passive specimens leads to an increase in the hoop stress and confining pressure, while the longitudinal stress along the steel tube height experiences a decrease. Moreover, prestressing via the presented method is capable of improving the compressive behavior of STCC columns.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.125-138
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• 2018

The research on the confinement behavior of ultra high performance concrete without and with the use of steel fibers (UHPC and UHPFRC) has been extremely limited. In previous studies, authors experimentally investigated the axially compressive behavior of circular steel tube confined concrete (STCC) short and intermediate columns with the employment of UHPC and UHPFRC. Under loading on only the concrete core, the confinement effect induced by the steel tube was shown to significantly enhance the utimate stress and its corresponding strain of the concrete core. Therefore, this paper develops a simplified stress - strain model for circular STCC columns using UHPC and UHPFRC with compressive strength ranging between 150 MPa and 200 MPa. Based on the regression analysis of previous test results, formulae for predicting peak confined stress and its corresponding strain are proposed. These proposed formulae are subsequently compared against some previous empirical formulae available in the literature to assess their accuracy. Finally, the simplified stress - strain model is verified by comparison with the test results.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.477-488
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• 2017

In this paper, an innovative technique for finite element (FE) modeling of steel tube-confined concrete (STCC) columns with active confinement under axial compressive loading is presented. In this method, a new constitutive model for the stress-strain relationship of actively-confined concrete is proposed. In total, 14 series of experimental STCC stub columns having active confinement were modeled using the ABAQUS software. The results obtained from the 3D model including the compressive strength at the initial peak point and failure point, as well as the axial and lateral stress-strain curves were compared with the experimental results to verify the accuracy of the 3D model. It was found that there existed a good agreement between them. A parametric study was conducted to investigate the effect of the concrete compressive strength, steel tube wall thickness, and pre-stressing level on the behavior of STCC columns with active confinement. The results indicated that increasing the concrete core's compressive strength leads to an increase in the compressive strength of the active composite column as well as its earlier failure. Furthermore, a reduction in the tube external diameter-to-wall thickness ratio affects the axial stress-strain curve and the confining pressure, while increasing the pre-stressing level has a negligible effect on the two.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.95-109
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• 2020

This paper aims to analytically study the effect of loading conditions and confinement type on the mechanical properties of the concrete-steel composite columns under axial compressive loading. The axial loading is applied to the composite columns in the two ways; only on the concrete core, and on the concrete core and steel tube simultaneously, which are called steel tube-confined concrete (STCC) and concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns, respectively. In addition, the confinement is investigated in the three types of passive, short-term active and long-term active confinement. Nonlinear finite element 3D models for analyzing these columns are developed using the ABAQUS program, and then these models are verified with respect to the recent experimental results reported by the authors on the STCC and CFST columns experiencing active and passive confinements. Axial and lateral stress-strain curves as well as the failure mode for qualitative verification, and compressive strength for quantitative verification are considered. It is found that there is a good consistency between the finite element analysis results and the experimental ones. In addition, a parametric study is performed to evaluate the effect of axial loading type, prestressing ratio, concrete compressive strength and steel tube diameter-to-wall thickness ratio on the compressive behavior of the composite columns. Finally, the compressive strength results of CFST specimens obtained via the finite element analysis are compared with the values specified by the international codes and standards including EC4, CSA, ACI-318, and AISC, with the results showing that ACI-318 and AISC underestimate the compressive strength of the composite columns, while EC4 and CSA codes present overestimated values.