Axial load behavior of square CFT stub column with binding bars

This paper is concerned with the axial load behavior of square concrete filled steel tubular (S-CFT) stub columns with binding bars provided to improve the mechanical behavior of S-CFT columns. Ten specimens with binding bars and 5 specimens without binding bars were tested to examine the effects of width-to-thickness ratios and binding bars on ultimate strength, stiffness and ductility of S-CFT columns. A method for calculating ultimate strength is proposed based on a constitutive model of confined concrete and a simplification corresponding to this method is conducted. Finally, the method proposed in this paper is verified with experimental results in this test program and data from other experiments. Corresponding values of ultimate strength calculated by EC4(1996) and GJB(2000) are given respectively for comparison. For S-CFT stub columns with binding bars, the results predicted by the method proposed herein agree well with the experimental results while that predicted by the methods of EC4(1996) and GJB(2000) scatter from the experimental results; for S-CFT without binding bars, the results given by the three methods mentioned above are all reasonable.