Axial strength of modified fibrous foamed concrete-filled hollow section

Purpose Concrete-filled hollow section (CFHS) is widely used in steel construction. The combination of concrete and steel decreases buckling and deformation of steel. However, studies reveal that using normal concrete increases the dead weight of a structure. Therefore, a lightweight concrete, such as foamed concrete (FC), is proposed to reduce the weight of the structure. The purpose of this study is to determine the strength of modified fibrous foamed CFHS (FCFHS). Design/methodology/approach Steel and polypropylene fibres were used with rice husk ash, and short column fibrous FCFHSs were tested under compression load. Greased and non-greased methods were adopted to determine bond strength and confining effect between steel and concrete. Findings Results indicate that the use of fibre in FCFHSs improves the strength of CFHS from 9% to 11%. The non-greased method confirms that an interaction exists between steel and concrete with a confinement coefficient of more than 2.0. Originality/value It can be shown that the modified fibrous foamed concrete can increase the strength of the concrete and can be used as concrete filled in steel construction industry.