Behavior of biaxially-loaded rectangular concrete-filled steel tubular slender beam-columns with preload effects

In composite construction, rectangular hollow steel tubular slender beam-columns are subjected to preloads arising from construction loads and permanent loads of the upper floors before infilling of the wet concrete. The behavior of biaxially loaded thin-walled rectangular concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) slender beam-columns with preloads on the steel tubes has not been studied experimentally and numerically. In this paper, a fiber element model developed for CFST slender beam-columns with preload effects is briefly described and verified by existing experimental results of uniaxially loaded CFST columns with preload effects. The fiber element model is used to investigate the behavior of biaxially loaded rectangular CFST slender beam-columns accounting for the effects of preloads and local buckling. Parameters examined include local buckling, preload ratio, loading angle, depth-to-thickness ratio, column slenderness, loading eccentricity and steel yield strength. The results obtained indicate that the preloads on the steel tubes significantly reduce the stiffness and strength of CFST slender beam-columns with a maximum strength reduction of more than 15.8%. Based on the parametric studies, a design model is proposed for axially loaded rectangular CFST columns with preload effects. The fiber element and design models proposed allow for the structural designer to efficiently analyze and design CFST slender beam-columns subjected to preloads from the upper floors of a high-rise composite building during construction. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.