Structural resistance of high-strength steel CHS members

The structural resistance of high-strength steel seamless tubular beam-columns of circular cross-section subjected to axial compression and bending loading is investigated, using experimental testing and numerical finite element simulations. Experiments on short and slender seamless tubular specimens are conducted, and simulated with rigorous finite element models. Prior to experimental testing, initial imperfections and residual stresses are measured, and the measurements are taken into account in the numerical models as initial conditions. Α good comparison is achieved between numerical simulations and experimental results in terms of ultimate strength capacity. Using the finite element tools, parametric numerical analyses are conducted under combined axial-bending loading conditions. First, the influence of initial imperfections (wrinkling) on the structural behavior of high-strength steel tubular members is examined, in terms of their cross-sectional strength. Subsequently, stability curves for axial compression, and thrust-bending interaction diagrams for the high-strength steel tubular members are obtained. The cross-sectional strength, the stability curves and the interaction diagrams obtained numerically are compared with existing relevant provisions of European and American specifications (ΕΝ 1993, ΑΡΙ RP 2Α and AISC) for the design of beam-column tubular members. The comparison shows that the provisions of those specifications, originally developed for mild steel CHS members, result in reasonable, yet conservative, predictions for the structural resistance of high-strength steel seamless CHS members. It is also suggested that significant improvement of EN 1993 predictions can be achieved revising the classification of high-strength steel CHS sections.