Feasibility Study on Highly Slender Circular Concrete Filled Tubes Under Axial Compression

Circular Concrete Filled Tubes are gaining importance in the construction industry due to their advantages insofar as economy and structural efficiency. Due to the recent developments in concrete and steel technology, the usage of high strength materials in these concrete filled tubes is increasing. The governing American specification (AISC 360-16) classifies these composite members as compact, non-compact and slender sections. The allowed section slenderness (ratio of diameter to thickness ratio) in each classification is related to the material properties (ratio of Young's modulus to yield strength ratio). AISC 360-16 is applicable for steels up to 75 ksi and concretes up to 10 ksi. These limits are lower than current available materials and restricts the usage of highly slender sections. As the strength of these tubes is dependent on local buckling, tests on many combinations of high strength steel and concrete are needed to extend these material limits.

This preliminary research work focuses on understanding the local buckling behavior of highly slender sections and the effect of concrete infill and its confinement. The research began by compiling a database that highlighted a gap on tests with highly slender sections and high strength materials. To address this issue, a pilot set of experimental tests were conducted on short circular concrete filled members. An analytical evaluation of these experimental results are performed using 3D finite element analysis models. The critical buckling load is determined using J2 deformation theory, which proves to give a good estimate when compared with the experimental results. The main objective of the work is to determine if a simplified test like the one used in this work could be used for the large experimental study that will be necessary to expend the material limits in AISC 360-16. The limited data developed in this study indicates that the test can provide satisfactory results with a few improvements and refinements.