• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.159-170
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• 2021

Concrete filled steel tubes (CFSTs) are extensively used in a variety of structures due to their structural and economic advantages over other types of structures. Considerable research has been conducted with regards to their short-term behaviour, and very limited studies have focused on their long-term behaviour. In this study, a series of tests were carried out on high strength squat (short) CFSTs and concrete cylinders under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity to better understand their time dependent behaviour. A number of parameters were investigated including the influence of steel and concrete bond, confinement, level of sustained load and sizes of specimens. The results revealed that creep strains increased by more than 40% if there was no bonding between steel tube and concrete core. As expected, creep and shrinkage of concrete inside a steel tube were significantly less than those developed in exposed concrete. At the end of a creep period of six months, all the specimens were tested to failure to observe the influence of sustained loads on the ultimate strength. It was found that creep does not have a major effect on the strength of short CFSTs in the specific experimental study conducted here, which was less than 2.5%.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.123-137
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• 2023

To fully understand shear mechanisms and composite effects of circular concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns, systematic numerical investigations were conducted in this paper by improved finite element models. The triaxial plastic-damage constitutive model of the concrete and the interactions between the concrete and steel tube were considered. Afterwards, the critical and upper bound shear span ratios of the circular CFST column under lateral shear loading were determined. The composite effects between the two materials were analyzed by comparing the shear resistance with plain concrete column and hollow steel tube. In addition, a method that predicts the shear bearing capacity of a circular CFST column was proposed. The confining effects on the concrete core and the restraining effects on the steel tube were considered in this method. The proposed formula can predict more accurate results than the methods in different codes and references.

• Composites Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.24-30
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• 2008

Durability problems may arise in the concrete, which is one of the major construction materials, used in the construction field. Bridge piers and foundation piles are usually made with concrete and they are exposed to the moisture and hence the durability of the concrete reduced significantly due to oxidization of re-bar and icing of concrete. To mitigate such problems, FRP tube has been developed and the concrete filled FRP tube (CFFT) has been investigated to find the confinement effect which is provided additionally. It was reported that if the concrete is wrapped with FRP, strength and chemical resistance are improved significantly. In order to apply such a member in the construction field, structural behavior and applicable design guideline or design criteria must be thoroughly investigated. In the experimental investigation, the results are compared with the previous research results and the relationship which can predict the ultimate strength and strain is suggested. In addition, some comments found at the compression tests are given briefly.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.241-256
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• 2010

The interaction between steel tube and concrete core is the key issue for understanding the behavior of concrete-filled steel tube columns (CFTs). This study investigates the force transfer by natural bond or by mechanical shear connectors and the interaction between the steel tube and the concrete core under three types of loading. Two and three-dimensional nonlinear finite element models are developed to study the force transfer between steel tube and concrete core. The nonlinear finite element program ABAQUS is used. Material and geometric nonlinearities of concrete and steel are considered in the analysis. The damage plasticity model provided by ABAQUS is used to simulate the concrete material behavior. Comparisons between the finite element analyses and own experimental results are made to verify the finite element models. A good agreement is observed between the numerical and experimental results. Parametric studies using the numerical models are performed to investigate the effects of diameterto-thickness ratio, uniaxial compressive strength of concrete, length of shear connectors, and the tensile strength of shear connectors.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.47-64
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• 2003

In a nonlinear finite element study on the mechanical behavior of simple beam connections to continuous concrete-filled steel tube columns, two principally different connection types were analyzed: one with plates attached to the outside of the tube wall, relying on shear transfer, and one with an extended plate inserted through the steel section to ensure bearing on the concrete core. The load was applied partly at the connection within the column length and partly at the top, representing the load from upper stories of a multistory building. The primary focus was on the increased demand for load transfer to ensure composite action when concrete with higher compressive strength is used. The results obtained from the analyses showed that the design bond strength derived from push tests is very conservative, mainly due to the high frictional shear resistance offered by pinching and contraction effects caused by connection rotation. However, with higher concrete strength the demand for load transfer increases, and is hard to fulfill for higher loads when connections are attached only to the steel section. Instead, the connection should penetrate into the concrete core to distribute load to the concrete by direct bearing.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 2014

In this paper, concrete-filled steel tubular columns encased with precast reinforced concrete were studied. Four eccentrically loaded columns and a concentrically loaded column were tested to investigate the axial load-carrying capacity. The test parameters were the use of fiber reinforcement for cover concrete, eccentricity, column length, and lateral reinforcement. The maximum axial loads of the specimens agreed with the nominal strengths predicted by KBC 2009. However, in some specimens, the load carrying capacity quickly decreased after the peak strength due to spalling of the cover concrete.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.257-273
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• 2012

Based on the heterogeneous characterization of concrete at mesoscopic level, Realistic Failure Process Analysis ($RFPA^{3D}$) code is used to simulate the failure process of concrete-filled tubular (CFT) stub columns. The results obtained from the numerical simulations are firstly verified against the existing experimental results. An extensive parametric study is conducted to investigate the effects of different concrete strength on the behaviour and load-bearing capacity of the CFT stub columns. The strength of concrete considered in this study ranges from 30 to 110 MPa. Both the load-bearing capacity and load-displacement curves of CFT columns are evaluated. In particular, the crack propagation during the deformation and failure processes of the columns is predicted and the associated mechanisms related to the increased load-bearing capacity of the columns are clarified. The numerical results indicate that there are two mechanisms controlling the failure of the CFT columns. For the CFT columns with the lower concrete strength, they damage when the steel tube yields at first. By contrast, for the columns with high concrete strength it is the damage of concrete that controls the overall loading capacity of the CFT columns. The simulation results also demonstrate that $RFPA^{3D}$ is not only a useful and effective tool to simulate the concrete-filled steel tubular columns, but also a valuable reference for the practice of engineering design.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.383-398
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• 2011

This paper investigates the nonlinear analysis of concrete-filled steel composite columns subjected to axial loading to predict the ultimate load capacity and behaviour of the columns. Finite element software LUSAS is used to conduct the nonlinear analyses. The accuracy of the finite element modelling is verified by comparing the result with the corresponding experimental result reported by other researchers. Nonlinear analyses are done to study and develop different shapes and number of cold-formed steel sheeting stiffeners with various thicknesses of cold-formed steel sheets. Effects of the parameters on the ultimate axial load capacity and ductility of the concrete-filled steel composite columns are examined. Effects of variables such as concrete compressive strength $f_c$ and cold-formed steel sheet yield stress $f_{yp}$ on the ultimate axial load capacity of the columns are also investigated. The results are shown in the form of axial load-normalized axial shortening plots. It is concluded from the study that the ultimate axial load capacity and behaviour of the concrete-filled steel composite columns can be accurately predicted by the proposed finite element modelling. Results in this study demonstrate that the ultimate axial load capacity and ductility of the columns are affected with various thicknesses of steel sheets and different shapes and number of stiffeners. Also, compressive strength $f_c$ of the concrete and yield stress $f_{yp}$ of the cold-formed steel sheet influence the performance of the columns significantly.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1511-1529
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• 2015

This article provides an analysis of the complex character of stress distribution in concrete in stub columns consisting of two HE160A steel sections held together with batten plates and filled with concrete. In such columns, evaluating the effect of concrete confinement and determining the extent of this confinement constitute a substantially complex problem. The issue was considered in close correspondence to rectangular cross section tubular elements filled with concrete, concrete-encased columns, as well as to steel-concrete columns in which reinforcement bars are connected with shackles. In the analysis of concrete confinement in two-chord columns, elements of computational methods developed for different types of composite cross sections were adopted. The achieved analytical results were compared with calculations based on test results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.739-756
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• 2015

This paper presents investigations on the hysteretic behavior of concrete-filled circular tubular (CFCT) T-joints subjected to axial cyclic loading at brace end. In the experimental study, four specimens are fabricated and tested. The chord members of the tested specimens are filled with concrete along their full length and the braces are hollow section. Failure modes and load-displacement hysteretic curves of all the specimens obtained from experimental tests are given and discussed. Some indicators, in terms of stiffness deterioration, strength deterioration, ductility and energy dissipation, are analyzed to assess the seismic performance of CFCT joints. Test results indicate that the failures are primarily caused by crack cutting through the chord wall, convex deformation on the chord surface near brace/chord intersection and crushing of the core concrete. Hysteretic curves of all the specimens are plump, and no obvious pinching phenomenon is found. The energy dissipation result shows that the inelastic deformation is the main energy dissipation mechanism. It is also found from experimental results that the CFCT joints show clear and steady stiffness deterioration with the increase of displacement after yielding. However, all the specimens do not perform significant strength deterioration before failure. The effect of joint geometric parameters ${\beta}$ and ${\gamma}$ of the four specimens on hysteretic performance is also discussed.