Yes / This paper investigated the rotation behaviour of simply bolted I-beam to concrete-filled elliptical steel tubular (CFEST) column connections experimentally. Ten different joint assemblies were tested to failure, with a constant axial compressive load applied to the column and upwards concentrated loads at the beam ends. All of the steel tubes were hot-finished and had a cross-sectional aspect ratio of 2. The orientation of the column and the arrangement of the stiffening plates were taken into consideration. Moment versus rotation relationships and failure modes were compared for each joint, highlighting the benefits of using core concrete and stiffeners in these connections.

Yes / Extensive experimental and theoretical studies have been conducted on the compressive strength of concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns, but little attention has been paid to their compressive stiffness and deformation capacity. Despite this, strength prediction approaches in existing design codes still have various limitations. A finite element model, which was previously proposed by the authors and verified using a large amount of experimental data, is used in this paper to generate simulation data covering a wide range of parameters for circular and rectangular CFST stub columns under axial compression. Regression analysis is conducted to propose simplified models to predict the compressive strength, the compressive stiffness, and the compressive strain corresponding to the compressive strength (ductility) for the composite columns. Based on the new strength prediction model, the capacity reduction factors for the steel and concrete materials are recalibrated to achieve a target reliability index of 3.04 when considering resistance effect only.

Yes / Recycled aggregate concrete filled stainless steel tube (RAC-FSST) is a new type of composite member combining the advantage of stainless steel and RAC. In this paper, a total of twenty-four RAC-FSST stub columns were tested under axial load, considering the influences of coarse recycled aggregate (CRA) content, steel ratios and compressive strengths of RAC. The obtained results, including the failure patterns, responses of axial load vs. deformation, stress states of external stainless steel tube and inner RAC and confinement effects, were systematically analyzed. Results indicated that all specimens presented good ductility and high residual strengths after reaching the maximum axial load. The elastic stiffness of RAC-FSSTs obviously declined with the increasing CRA content, while the strain at the ultimate load was larger. The inclusion of CRA could advance the occurrence of the confinement and lead to lower confining stress. Based on the experimental results, an analytical model with consideration of confinement action was developed to predict the axial response of RAC-FSST stub columns. Besides, the current design provisions for the normal CFST and RAC-FST members were employed to evaluate their applicability to RAC-FSSTs. In general, the design rules EN 1994-1-1:2004, GB 50936-2014 and T/CECS 625-2019 gave a conservative and relatively accurate prediction on ultimate strength of RAC-FSST stub columns. / This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation.

Concrete-filled tubular (CFT) columns have been widely adopted in building structures owing to their superior structural performance, such as enhanced load bearing capacity, compared to hollow tubes. Circular, square and rectangular hollow sections are most commonly used in the past few decades. Elliptical hollow section (EHS) available recently is regarded as a new cross-section for the CFT columns due to its attractive appearance, optional orientation either on major axis or minor axis and improved structural efficiency. The state of the research in terms of elliptical columns, tubular joints between EHSs and connections with CFT columns, etc., are reviewed in this thesis, showing a lack of investigations on EHSs, especially on beam to elliptical column connections which are essential in framed structures. The structural behaviour of elliptical column to I-beam connections under bending is studied in this thesis to fill the research gap. Overall ten specimens with various joint assemblies were tested to failure to highlight the benefits of adopting concrete infill and stiffeners in the columns. A three-dimensional finite element model developed by using ABAQUS software is presented and verified against obtained experimental results, which shows acceptable accuracy and reliability in predicting failure modes of the connections and their moment capacities. Parametric studies were performed to access the main parameters that affecting the bending behaviour of the connections. A simple hand calculation method in terms of ultimate moment capacity is proposed according to experiments conducted for connections with concrete-filled columns.

This paper presents the behaviour and design of axially loaded concrete filled stainless steel circular and square hollow sections. The experimental investigation was conducted using different concrete cube strengths varied from 30 to 100 MPa. The column strengths and load-axial shortening curves were evaluated. The study is limited to cross-section capacity and has not been validated at member level. Comparisons of the tests results together with other available results from the literature have been made with existing design methods for composite carbon steel sections ¿ Eurocode 4 and ACI. It was found that existing design guidance for carbon steel may generally be safely applied to concrete filled stainless steel tubes, though it tends to be over-conservative. A continuous strength method is proposed and it is found to provide the most accurate and consistent prediction of the axial capacity of the composite concrete filled stainless steel hollow sections due largely to the more precise assessment of the contribution of the stainless steel tube to the composite resistance.

no / This paper investigates the axial compressive behaviour of short concrete-filled elliptical steel columns using the ABAQUS/Standard solver, and a new confined concrete stress-stain model for the concrete-filled elliptical steel hollow section is proposed. The accuracy of the simulation and the concrete stress-strain model was verified experimentally. The stub columns tested consist of 150 × 75 elliptical hollow sections (EHSs) with three different wall thicknesses (4 mm, 5 mm and 6.3 mm) and concrete grades C30, C60 and C100. The compressive behaviour, which includes the ultimate load capacity, load versus end-shortening relationship and failure modes, were obtained from the numerical models and compared against the experimental results, and good agreements were obtained. This indicated that the proposed model could be used to predict the compressive characteristics of short concrete-filled elliptical steel columns.

This paper presents the experimental results and observation of elliptical concrete filled tube (CFT) columns subjected to axial compressive load. A total of twenty-six elliptical CFT specimens including both stub and slender composite columns are tested to failure to investigate the axial compressive behaviour. Various column lengths, sectional sizes and infill concrete strength are used to quantify the influence of member geometry and constituent material properties on the structural behaviour of elliptical CFT columns. As there is no design guidance currently available in any Code of Practice, this study provides a review of the current design rules for concrete filled circular hollow sections in Eurocode 4 (EC4). New equations based on the Eurocode 4 provisions for concrete filled circular hollow sections were proposed and used to predict the capacities of elliptical CFT columns.

This paper is an attempt to study the behavior of axially loaded concrete filled steel tubular (CFST) stub columns with special-shaped cross-sections, i.e. triangular, fan-shaped, D-shaped, 1/4 circular and semi-circular. A total of forty-four specimens including CFST stub columns and reference hollow steel tubular stub columns were tested. The effects of the changing steel tube wall thickness and the infill of concrete on the behavior of the composite columns were investigated. The results showed that the tested special-shaped CFST stub columns behaved in a ductile manner, and the composite columns showed an outward local buckling model near the middle section. Generally, the failure modes of these five kinds of special-shaped specimens were similar to those of the square CFST stub columns. Finally, simplified model for predicting the cross-sectional strength of the special-shaped CFST sections was discussed and proposed.

Yes / This paper presents the experimental results of axial compression tests on concrete-filled bimetallic tubes (CFBT). The cross section of the bimetallic tube is composed of an outer layer made of stainless steel and an inner layer made of carbon steel. A total of 12 specimens with a circular cross section were tested under axial compression. The test parameters included the thickness of the stainless steel tube layer (tss=0-1.36 mm) and the compressive strength of the infilled concrete (fcu=21.1-42.8 MPa). Test results showed that, the two layers of the bimetallic tube worked well together, and the CFBT specimens exhibited ductile characteristics. The influence of the parameters on the failure mode, load versus deformation relationship, axial compressive strength, and strain development of the tested specimens were investigated. Finally, the feasibility of three existing design codes for predicting the axial compressive strength of CFST under axial compression was evaluated. / Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation

No / This study explores the lateral deflections of diagonal braces in concentrically-braced earthquake-resisting frames. The performance of this widely-used system is often compromised by the flexural buckling of slender braces in compression. In addition to reducing the compressive resistance, buckling may also cause these members to undergo sizeable lateral deflections which could damage surrounding structural components. Different approaches have been used in the past to predict the mid-length lateral deflections of cyclically loaded steel braces based on their theoretical deformed geometry or by using experimental data. Expressions have been proposed relating the mid-length lateral deflection to the axial displacement ductility of the member. Recent experiments were conducted on hollow and concrete-filled circular hollow section (CHS) braces of different lengths under cyclic loading. Very slender, concrete-filled tubular braces exhibited a highly ductile response, undergoing large axial displacements prior to failure. The presence of concrete infill did not influence the magnitude of lateral deflection in relation to the axial displacement, but did increase the number of cycles endured and the maximum axial displacement achieved. The corresponding lateral deflections exceeded the deflections observed in the majority of the previous experiments that were considered. Consequently, predictive expressions from previous research did not accurately predict the mid-height lateral deflections of these CHS members. Mid-length lateral deflections were found to be influenced by the member non-dimensional slenderness ( ) and hence a new expression was proposed for the lateral deflection in terms of member slenderness and axial displacement ductility. / TATA Steel