Axial load behavior and strength of tubed steel reinforced-concrete (SRC) stub columns

This paper presents experimental and analytical studies on the behavior of tubed SRC stub columns subjected to axial compressive load. Fourteen circular tubed SRC (CTSRC) and fifteen square tubed SRC (STSRC) stub columns were tested to investigate the failure mode and axial loaded behavior of tubed SRC columns. The effect of diameter/width to thickness ratio of the tubes was studied. The effect of height to diameter/width ratio of the separated tubes in tubed SRC columns was studied to investigate the effect of bond and friction between tube and concrete on the behavior of tubed SRC columns. The test results indicated that tubed SRC stub columns exhibited higher axial load capacity than common SRC columns with the same volumetric steel ratio. Elastic-plastic analysis on the steel tube was employed to study the mechanism of tubed SRC stub columns subjected to axial compression. Equations for the prediction of the axial load strength of tubed SRC stub columns were also proposed based on the proposed experimental results. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.