Tests and calculations for hollow structural steel (HSS) stub columns filled with self-consolidating concrete (SCC)

A mechanics model is developed in this paper for concrete-filled HSS stub columns. A unified theory is described whereby a confinement factor (ξ) is introduced to describe the composite action of the steel tube and the filled concrete. The predicted load versus deformation relationship was in good agreement with test results. The theoretical model was used to investigate the influence of important parameters that determine the ultimate strength of the composite columns. The parametric and experimental studies provide information for the development of formulae for the calculation of the ultimate strength and the axial load versus axial strain curves of the composite columns. Comparisons are made with predicted stub column strengths using the existing codes, such as ACI-1999, AISC-LRFD-1999, AIJ-1997, BS5400-1979 and EC4-1994.