1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL
In residential systems where land cost is at a premium, any savings in floor area
will be of considerable advantage both in terms of cost of the construction of floor and
better utilization of materials. With this in view, some of the innovations which are
prevalent in the basement floors for parking purpose in order to overcome land / space
scarcity, are use of steel in columns for reduction in area compared to concrete and
use of steel-concrete composites offsetting some of the costs in using steel completely.
Generally columns in high rise buildings are larger in size when concrete is used and
occupy more space cutting into the floor / carpet area of the apartment resulting in
more cost. Concrete Filled Steel Tubular (CFST) composite columns represent a class
of structural systems, where the best properties of steel and concrete are used to their
maximum advantage. When employed under favourable conditions the steel casing
confines the core tri-axially creating a confinement for better seismic resistance and
the in-filled concrete inhibits the local buckling of the tubular shell. Tubular columns
have an advantage over spirally reinforced concrete columns in which the core and the
cover behave as two different layers. In reinforced concrete columns, the cover is
inferior to the core and the spiral reinforcement come into action until the cover spalls.
Whereas in the concrete filled steel tubular columns the core forms one continuous
homogeneous medium. Also in slender tubular columns, where buckling occurs before
the concrete is confined, the shell adds to the strength. Tubular columns, when
considered as reinforced concrete columns, represent columns with a well dispersed
reinforcement. Ties and spirals could be avoided and tubes themselves form the
shuttering.
 2

The compressive strength per unit cost of concrete is higher than that of structural
steel and so, it seemed to be the most suitable material for use in columns. Until the
1950s, it was normal practice to use a wet mix of low strength concrete and to neglect
the contribution of the good quality concrete to the strength of the column. Tests by
Faber (1956), Stevens (1959) and others then showed that savings could be made by
using better-quality concrete and designing the column as a composite member. This
empirical method was developed by stages from earlier design procedures for steel
columns, and is not based on fundamental research on composite columns. In the mid
1980s several buildings constructed at Seattle in USA became well known for their
use of concrete filled steel tubes. Many developed countries like USA, Japan,
Germany, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Belgium etc., adopt this kind of composite
sections to facilitate speedy construction. Because of the increased use of composite
columns, many experimental and theoretical research works have been carried out to
study the strength and behaviour of the CFST columns. Rational methods of designing
CFST columns have also been developed.

1.2 OBJECTIVES

 To study the compressive behaviour of Cold Formed Composite(CFC) columns

with respect to their geometrical effcets.
 To carry out experimental and analytical investigations to verify the structural
improvements of CFC columns with normal strength concrete using the
proposed geometry.
 To carryout Finite Element Analysis using ANSYS to study the influence of
geometry in stress distribution, ultimate compressive strength and deflection of
the CFC columns.
 To compare the experimental results of ultimate compressive strength of CFC
columns with Euro Code 4 (EC4)
 3

 To compare the experimental results of ultimate compressive strength and

deflection with values obtained using ANSYS as a numerical tool.

1.3 SCOPES

 Study of geometrical effects in CFC frame structures can be carried out.

 Study of geometrical effects in CFC intermediate and long columns can be
studied.
 Performance under eccentric loadings can be studied.
 Influence of geometry in the seismic performance of the specially shaped
columns can be studied.
 4

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 STUDY ON LITERATURE REVIEW

Lin-Hai Han, Wei Li, and Reidar Bjorhovde (2014) summarized and
discussed the research development on CFST structural members in most recent years,
particularly in China. The characteristic of these concrete-filled steel tubular members
is that the structural properties can be improved due to the “composite action” between
steel tube and filled concrete. Basic design approaches from various countries and
some typical applications of concrete-filled steel tubular members in buildings,
bridges and other structures are presented and compared. The concrete-filled steel
tubular structure can be treated as an alternative system to the steel or the reinforced
concrete system. Some questions on the feasibility of the CFST system should also be
fully evaluated for its widely expanded application. The thorough comparison of
advantages and disadvantages of the CFST system with the steel and RC system, the
space truss structural system, the connection system, the hybrid systemusing high
performance and sustainable materials aswell as the life-cycle performance evaluation
should be conducted in the future.

Beena Kumari (2018) to investigate the various aspects of CSFT members in

the building industry; primarily considering the various aspects of these members
which have turned its unique phase with the advancement of technology. The paper
discusses the basic properties and theoretical information about the behaviour of CFST
columns at all stages, in brief. The paper also includes the few projects which include
the application of CFST columns around the world. In India use of steel buildings is
still at infancy stage. The cost factor is the main influencing factor behind. It can be
 5

concluded that in today‟s scenario, when green buildings have become the focus of
designers, CFST structures can be a better alternative to traditional structures of
concrete and steel structures due to their abundant advantages.

De Nardin and El Debs (2007) investigated the experimental study on

concrete filled steel tubular columns. The main parameters included were cross-
sections, steel tube thicknesses. The cross-sections of the CFT columns were
categorised into three groups, that is, square section, rectangular section and circular
section. All the tests were performed in a vertical column testing machine with static
capacity of 3000kN at a speed of 0.005mm/s. The typical failure of the square, circular
and rectangular specimens subjected to concentric loading occurred when the concrete
core was crushed. In some specimens, an outward local buckling in the mid-length
section was observed only in the post-peak branch. The circular specimens presented
overall instability and no sign of local buckling was recorded in the stages of loading.
The confinement effect on the square section is more effective than on the rectangular
sections, therefore they show greater ductility in the post-peak behaviour.

Artiomas Kuranovas and Audronis Kazimieras Kvedaras (2007)

investigated the behaviour of composite steel-concrete elements in various loading
stages. Their investigations discovered that the increase in load-bearing capacity of
CFST elements is mainly caused by the confining effect of steel tube on the concrete
core. The different Poisson’s ratios of steel tube and concrete core were considerably
affected by the structural behavior of CFST elements. The theoretical and
experimental investigations showed that the behaviour of hollow CFST elements is
more complicated than that of solid ones, because of complex stress states none of
stresses in hollow concrete core are evenly distributed through the thickness of its
crosssections. The analysis of results shows that during multilayered centrifuging an
interaction between components of CFST element appears and increases strength
atleast by 10%. These results were shown that composite effect of single layered
 6

specimens was 6%, for double-layered 12%. This increase in strength is explained by
appearance of additional interaction between neighboring concrete layers under
loading conditions.

Lanhui Guoa et al (2007) studied the occurrence of local buckling in bare steel
and concrete-filled tubes and how different depth-to-thickness ratios affect the
response of the steel component. Specimens with values of depth-to-thickness ratios
in the range of 50–125 have been considered. The experiments were conducted using
a 1000kN capacity compression machine. They observed that the initial stiffness is
nearly identical for both bare and concrete-filled steel tubes, and the grease has well
eliminated the bond and load transfer between the steel and concrete components. For
the same column size, the peak load reached by a concrete-filled section is
significantly greater than that observed for the corresponding steel one. These
differences become particularly evident for specimens with high depth-to-thickness
ratio. In fact, for specimens with a depth-to-thickness ratio of 50, the bearing capacity
observed for concrete-filled tubes is 23% higher than the one measured for bare hollow
steel tube. For larger depth-to-thickness ratios, an enhancement of 75% was observed.

Teng et al (2007) examined the concept and behaviour of hybrid fibre

reinforced polymer concrete steel tubular columns. They developed the idea of new
form of columns namely fibre reinforced polymer concrete steel hybrid double skin
tubular columns (DSTC). The fibres of FRP were oriented mainly in hoop direction to
provide confinement to the concrete for enhanced ductility. It also developed corrosion
resistance and fire protection by its type. All specimens displayed continuous load
displacement behaviour until ultimate failure, which occurred by the rupture of the
FRP tube due to hoop tension. A series of four point bending tests were also conducted
on DSTC in which the inner steel tube was shifted towards the tension side and
exhibited the ductile behaviour of DSTC section.
 7

Tao et al. (2005) tested nineteen specimens, including thirteen square CFT stub
columns, two rectangular CFT stub columns and four empty square steel stub columns
for reference. They were tested to failure under concentric compression. All tubes
were manufactured from mild steel sheet with a measured thickness of 2.5 mm. A
5000 kN capacity testing machine was used for the compression tests of all specimens.
The adjustment was terminated until the difference between the measured strain and
the average value was not more than 5%. In addition, two displacement transducers
were used to measure the axial shortening during the tests. A load interval of less than
one tenth of the estimated load capacity was used. Each load interval was maintained
for about 2 to 3 minutes. They concluded that when compared with the steel columns,
the ultimate strength of the composite columns was greatly increased because of the
in-filled concrete. In the case of un-stiffened composite columns, the load carrying
capacity of specimen under estimates could be observed. The sectional capacity of the
composite stub columns could be increased when stiffeners were provided. And also,
no ductility improvement for stiffened CFT columns was observed in the current test.
The increment of moment of inertia of stiffeners did not significantly influence the
ductility of the stiffened CFT specimens.

Zeghichea and Chaoui (2005) conducted an experimental study on 27

concrete filled steel tubular columns. The column slenderness, the load eccentricity
covering axially and eccentrically loaded columns with single or double curvature
bending and the compressive strength of the concrete core were the test parameters.
The circular steel tube had an outer diameter of 160 mm with a wall thickness of 5mm.
The length of the columns varied from 2.0 to 4.0 m in increments of 500 mm and they
were filled with concrete in the vertical position. Three groups of columns were tested
under different loading conditions. Columns of the first group were tested under axial
loads, columns of the second group were subjected to equal eccentric loads with e/D
ratio varying from 0.05 to 0.20 and columns of the third group were tested in double
 8

curvature bending. All the columns were tested in a compressive testing machine with
a maximum load capacity of 10000 kN. A set of adapter end plates equipped with half-
spherical bearings were manufactured and fixed to both ends of each column to form
a simply supported column. The main parameters studied were the length of the
composite column and the concrete strength. The L/D ratio varied from 12.5 to 25.0.
The author concluded that the increase of the concrete core strength was effective for
shorter columns and decreased with the increase of the composite column length. All
axially loaded columns failed after having reached the steel yield strain with small
lateral mid-length deflections.

Gopal and Manoharan (2006) conducted an experimental study of 12 slender

steel tubular columns of circular sections filled with both plain and fibre reinforced
concrete. The specimens were tested under eccentric compression to investigate the
effects of fibre reinforced concrete on the strength and behaviour of slender composite
columns. The slenderness ratio 30 was considered to be the main test parameter in this
study. Hollow steel sections of similar specimens were also tested as reference
columns. The test results were illustrated by load-deflection and load-strain curves.
Various characteristics such as strength, stiffness, ductility, energy absorption capacity
and failure mode were discussed. Interpretation of the experimental results indicated
that the use of the fibre reinforced concrete as infill material had a considerable effect
on the strength and behaviour of slender composite columns. The authors concluded
that the use of FRC filled steel tubular columns have relatively high stiffness compared
with plain concrete filled columns. The ductility was found to be almost equal for both
plain and FRC filled columns. The use of FRC as a filling material increased the load
bearing capacity to a much greater extent compared with that of unfilled columns and
reduced the lateral displacements.
 9

2.2 INFERENCE FROM LITERATURE STUDY

 The concrete-filled steel tubular structure can be treated as an alternative

system to the steel or the reinforced concrete system.
 Design guidance is given for ductility design so as to take advantage of the
ductility enhancement.
 Tibia shaped column becomes highly efficient for both transverse and axial
loads because the principal stresses were reduced due to the effect of shape of
column.
 “Composite action” between steel tube and filled concrete improves the
structural properties of the CFST columns.
 Round cold-formed corners have good mechanical behaviour under the axial
compressive loads.
 Maximum material utilization in the strength wise.
 Bio-columns have higher stiffness.
 10

CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
 11

CHAPTER 4

COLUMN SPECIFICATION

4.1 GENERAL

The specification of the column specimen that is used in the project work is
given below.

SPECIMEN DIMENSION (mm)

Cube 150 x 150 x 150

CFC column 600 x 120 x 2

Proposed Column 600 x 120 x 2

(varying cross section)
 12

CHAPTER 5

SOFTWARE ANALYSIS

5.1 GENERAL
The ANSYS Workbench environment is an intuitive up-front finite element
analysis tool that is used in conjunction with CAD systems and/or DesignModeler.
ANSYS Workbench is a software environment for performing structural, thermal, and
electromagnetic analyses. The class focuses on geometry creation and optimization,
attaching existing geometry, setting up the finite element model, solving, and
reviewing results. The class will describe how to use the code as well as basic finite
element simulation concepts and results interpretation.
ANSYS is a general purpose software, used to simulate interactions of all disciplines
of physics, structural, vibration, fluid dynamics, heat transfer and electromagnetic for
engineers.

ANSYS can import CAD data and also enables to build a geometry with its
"pre-processing" abilities. Similarly in the same pre-processor, finite element model
(a.k.a. mesh) which is required for computation is generated. After defining loadings
and carrying out analyses, results can be viewed as numerical and graphical.

ANSYS can carry out advanced engineering analyses quickly, safely and
practically by its variety of contact algorithms, time based loading features and
nonlinear material models.

ANSYS Workbench is a platform which integrates simulation technologies and

parametric CAD systems with unique automation and performance. The power of
ANSYS Workbench comes from ANSYS solver algorithms with years of experience.
Furthermore, the object of ANSYS Workbench is verification and improving of the
product in virtual environment.
 13

5.2 ANSYS MODEL

The analysis focuses on
Geometry creation and optimization,
Attaching existing geometry,
Setting up the finite element model,
Solving and
Reviewing results
5.3 PROCEDURE
5.3.1 GEOMETRY CREATION

Parts define the geometry of the individual components of your model and, therefore,
are the building blocks of an ANSYS model.
14
 15

Fig 5.1 Geometry – Model

 16

Fig 5.2 Geometry – Support

 17

Fig 5.3 Geometry – Force

5.3.2 DEFINING AND ASSIGNING SECTION PROPERTIES

 18

You define the properties of a part through sections. After you create a section, you
can use one of the following two methods to assign the section to the part in the current
viewport

• You can simply select the region from the part and assign the section to the selected
region.

• You can use the Set toolset to create a homogeneous set containing the region and
assign the section to the set.

Fig 5.4 Material properties

5.3.4 SOLVING
 19

After the application of load the model solved for the required results and the failure
mode of the model is obtained

5.3.5 REVIEWING THE RESULTS

Fig 5.7 Total Deformation

 20

Fig. 5.8 Stress intensity

 21

CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
This study presents the construction friendly structural system Laced Steel
Concrete composite (LSCC) that possess high ductility, after analyzing the limitations
of other systems. The LSCC beams with lacings of vertical and inclined angle of
60degree are subjected to four point flexure loading using analytical software. The
finite element model with solid, plates and link elements representing the concrete,
cover plates and lacings respectively is generated and analysed for the calculated
ultimate load carrying capacity. The deformation and stress- strain characteristics were
obtained as results. It is shown that the cover plates and the lacing provided prevents
the concrete from spalling, which is major limitations of other existing systems.
 22

REFERENCES

[1] Lin-Hai Han et. al (2014), Developments and advanced applications of concrete-
filled steel tubular (CFST) structures: Members, Journal of Constructional Steel
Research 100 (2014) 211–228

[2] Beena Kumari (2018), Concrete Filled Steel Tubular (CFST) Columns in
Composite Structures, IOSR Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
(IOSR-JEEE), Volume 13, Issue 1 Ver. II (Jan. – Feb. 2018), PP 11-18

[3] Aizhu Zhu et. al (2017), Experimental study of concrete filled cold-formed steel
tubular stub columns, Journal of Constructional Steel Research 134 (2017) 17–27

[4] A.K.H. Kwan et. al. (2016), Axial and lateral stress–strain model for concrete-
filled steel tubes, Journal of Constructional Steel Research 122 (2016) 421–433

[5] Lucky Rebecca Joseph et. al. (2014), Structural Biomimicry – Evolving an
Efficient Column, International Journal of Advanced Research in Civil, Structural,
Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering and Developing, Volume: 1 Issue: 3
08-Apr-2014,ISSN_NO: 2320-723X

[6] S.S. Saravanan and P. Jagadeesh (2015), Assessment of Compressive Strength of

M40 Concrete with Mnufactured Sand – An Application based Concrete Mix, ARPN
Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Vol.10, N0. 16

[7] Qing Quan Liang (2015), Analysis and Design of Steel and Composite
Structures, International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4822-6653-5 (eBook -
PDF)