See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/307515695

Confining and hoop stresses in ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled

steel tube columns

Article in Magazine of Concrete Research · September 2016

DOI: 10.1680/jmacr.15.00225

CITATIONS READS

28 437

2 authors, including:

M. H. Lai
Guangzhou University
46 PUBLICATIONS 1,607 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Behaviour of concrete-filled-steel-tube columns with external confinement View project

All content following this page was uploaded by M. H. Lai on 16 December 2019.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Magazine of Concrete Research Magazine of Concrete Research, 2016, 68(18), 916–935
http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/jmacr.15.00225
Volume 68 Issue 18
Paper 1500225
Confining and hoop stresses in Received 04/06/2015; revised 17/09/2015; accepted 11/11/2015
Published online ahead of print 27/01/2016
ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
Keywords: composite materials/compressive strength/
steel tube columns structural design
Lai and Ho ICE Publishing: All rights reserved

Confining and hoop stresses in

ring-confined thin-walled
concrete-filled steel tube
columns
Mian Heng Lai Johnny C. M. Ho
PhD Student, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Senior Lecturer, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland,
Kong, Hong Kong Brisbane, QLD, Australia (corresponding author: johnny.ho@uq.edu.au)

Concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns are now widely adopted in many structures due to the superior behaviour
provided by composite action. However, this composite action is limited because of the different dilation properties
of the constitutive materials at the early elastic stage. Furthermore, due to inelastic outward buckling of the steel
tube, CFST columns may suffer serious degradation of the steel confinement. To overcome these problems, external
confinement in the form of rings has been recently studied, and test results have shown that such provision can
improve the strength, elastic stiffness, ductility and interface bonding of CFST columns. In the work reported in this
paper, as a continuation of a previous study of ring-confined CFST columns, ten concrete-filled thin-walled steel
tubes were fabricated and tested under uniaxial compression. The main parameters examined were the concrete
cylinder strength, the steel tube thickness and the ring spacing. The test results show that external rings are highly
effective in improving the uniaxial behaviour of CFST columns. Based on the experimental hoop–axial strain
relationships and Prandtl–Reuss theory for the steel tube, the true structural behaviour of unconfined and ring-
confined CFST columns, such as the steel–concrete interface bonding condition, the behaviour of the steel tube and
core concrete as well as the confining mechanisms, were explored.

Notation Nexp ultimate strength

Ac contact concrete area n number of rings
As contact steel area S spacing of rings
Do outer diameter of steel tube Sr deviatoric stress in radial direction
d diameter of ring Sz deviatoric stress in axial direction
Ec elastic modulus of concrete Sθ deviatoric stress in hoop direction
Ecs initial stiffness of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) t thickness of steel tube
column α enhancement ratio for strength
Es elastic modulus of steel tube β enhancement ratio for elastic stiffness
Essr elastic modulus of steel rings εsr radial strain of steel tube
Fc axial load of confined concrete εssr hoop strain of steel rings
Fs axial load of steel tube εsz axial strain of steel tube
Ft axial load of CFST column εsθ hoop strain of steel tube
fb steel–concrete interface bond stress νs Poisson’s ratio of steel tube
f c0 unconfined concrete cylinder strength σsr radial stress provided by steel tube
fcc confined concrete stress σssr yield stress of steel rings
fct ultimate tensile stress of concrete σsut ultimate tensile stress of steel tube
fr total confining stress σsy uniaxial yield stress of steel tube
frR confining stress of steel rings σsyc compressive yield stress of steel tube
frS confining stress of steel tube σsyt tensile yield stress of steel tube
G shear modulus of steel tube σsz axial stress of steel tube
H height of steel tube σsθ hoop stress provided by steel tube
i increment number τb bond shear stress
K bulk modulus of steel tube ω hardening parameter

916
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research
Volume 68 Issue 18
Introduction
Concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns, which consist of
hollow steel tube (HST) columns in-filled with concrete, are
now widely used in many structures due to the superior behav-
iour provided by the composite action (Uy, 2001; Uy et al.,
2011; Zhong, 2006). In CFST columns, due to the supporting
effect provided by the core concrete, inward buckling of the
steel tube can be prevented, resulting in a higher buckling
resistance (Bradford et al., 2002; Uy, 1998). Moreover, the steel
tube can act as both longitudinal and transverse reinforcement,
which provides both axial resistance and confining stress.
This uniform confining stress can improve the strength and
ductility of core concrete much more effectively than stirrups
in traditional reinforced concrete columns (Zhong, 2006).
Furthermore, since the steel tube serves as permanent form-
work, this system saves on construction materials and shortens
construction cycle time (Uy and Das, 1997). However, despite
these advantages, CFST columns also have the following draw-
backs. During the initial elastic stage under compression, due
to the different dilation properties of the steel tube and the
concrete (Lai and Ho, 2014b; Lu and Hsu, 2007), the corre-
sponding confining stress may become negative (i.e. hoop com-
pressive stress). This will reduce the strength, elastic stiffness
and ductility of the CFST column (Ho and Lai, 2013; Lai and
Ho, 2014a). The confining stress will be activated only when
microcracking of the concrete starts to form and the expansion
of the concrete exceeds that of the steel tube. On the other
hand, degradation of confining stress, strength and ductility
will occur in the post-elastic stage due to the inelastic outward
buckling of the steel tube. These problems are more prominent
when a thin-walled steel tube with high-strength concrete
(HSC) is used, as reported in many research studies (Hu et al.,
2011; O’Shea and Bridge, 2000; Tao et al., 2008).
Various approaches have been proposed to overcome these
deficiencies and fully utilise the composite action of CFST
columns (Cai and He, 2006; Dabaon et al., 2009; Ganesh
Prabhu and Sundarraja, 2013; Ho and Lai, 2013; Ho et al.,
2014; Huang et al., 2002; Lai and Ho, 2014a, 2014b; Petrus
et al., 2010). A brief review of these approaches was conducted
by the authors (Lai and Ho, 2015a) and it was concluded that
although installing internal stiffeners can improve the steel–
concrete interface bonding and delay the local buckling of
CFST columns, the enhancement effects on the strength, stiff-
ness and ductility are not as effective as external confining
schemes. This is because external confining schemes can
provide additional confining stress to improve the strength and
ductility of the core concrete and CFST columns.
Furthermore, internal stiffeners, if the spacing is too small, are
impractical when considering the concrete placing quality in
the construction (i.e. honeycombing or segregation can easily
occur). Research on circular CFST columns with internal stif-
feners is still limited because welding on the plates is much
easier and more controllable than welding on the shell.
Specimens confined using fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) can
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
Confining and hoop stresses in
ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho
fail suddenly near the mid-height region without ample
warning due to the linear-elastic–brittle stress–strain behaviour
of FRP wraps. Other disadvantages of this confining scheme
include the relatively high cost, poor fire resistance and low
elastic modulus to strength ratio of the FRP wraps.
In current practical construction, it is very common to see
CFST columns of very large diameter (up to 2 m), but it is
also not uncommon to encounter smaller diameter CFST
columns (< 1 m) in the higher storeys of tall buildings and in
low- to medium-rise residential buildings. Smaller sized CFST
columns
& provide increased buckling stability compared with
reinforced concrete columns because the concrete restrains
the column to buckle inwards
& result in lower construction and maintenance costs and
reduced construction and demolition wastes, thus offering
a lower carbon dioxide infrastructure that helps to create a
more sustainable living environment, which is a goal of all
structural/material engineers
& are more favourable to architects and developers and can
be utilised for different purposes.
In CFST columns, the welding of external rings – which can
provide adequate confining stress to improve the strength, duct-
ility and stability of the column – is easier than the installation
of internal stiffeners. A novel form of external steel ring con-
finement proposed by the authors (Ho et al., 2014; Lai and
Ho, 2014a, 2014b) is thus one of the best methods to improve
the uniaxial behaviour of CFST columns. Due to the
additional confining stress provided by rings in ring-confined
CFST columns, the steel–concrete interface bonding is
improved and the inelastic outward buckling of the steel tube
is prevented or at least delayed, resulting in higher strength,
elastic stiffness and ductility of the CFST column. Results of
previous work showed that the maximum load-carrying
capacity and initial stiffness of confined specimens were
respectively 49% and 26% larger than unconfined counterparts
(Lai and Ho, 2014b).
The authors’ previous studies (Ho et al., 2014; Lai and Ho,
2014a, 2014b) have demonstrated the beneficial effects of
adopting steel rings as external confinement, but better under-
standing of the true structural behaviour of unconfined and
ring-confined CFST columns is still required. Precise models
are needed to explore the actual behaviour of CFST columns,
such as the steel–concrete interface bonding, the stress state of
the steel tube, the behaviour of core concrete and so on.
Moreover, the steel tubes used in the authors’ previous studies
were relatively thick, with a diameter/thickness ratio of less
than 35.
As a continuation of the authors’ studies into ring-confined
CFST columns, ten concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubes
917
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

(eight specimens with a diameter/thickness ratio of about 40
and two specimens with a diameter/thickness ratio of over 100)
were fabricated and tested under uniaxial load. The purpose of
these experimental tests was
& to study the behaviour of thin-walled specimens and the
influence of steel tube thickness
& to examine the beneficial effect of external confinement on
thin-walled specimens
& to explore the true structural behaviour of constitutive
components of CFST columns by developing a precise
model.
Experimental programme
Specimens
A total of ten concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubes were fabri-
cated and tested under uniaxial load. The material properties
of the specimens are listed in Table 1. Specimens were divided
into two groups depending on the concrete cylinder strength
(f c0 ) – five CFST columns with f c0 = 30 MPa and five CFST
columns with f c0 = 80 MPa. Each group consisted of three ring-
confined CFST columns and two unconfined CFST columns.
In order to study the influence of steel tube thickness, one of
the unconfined columns had a tube thickness of 1 mm and the
other 3 mm. All the three ring-confined CFST had a tube
thickness of 3 mm. The nominal outer diameter of all five
specimens was 114·3 mm. The measured outer diameter (Do)
and thickness (t) of the steel tube are summarised in Table 1.
To reduce ‘end effects’ and minimise the slenderness ratio
(Han et al., 2005; Lai and Ho, 2015a; Yu et al., 2007), the
specimens were fabricated to be exactly 350 mm in height (H ),
which was about three times the outer diameter. Steel rings
were installed at different spacings (S = 60, 90 and 120 mm),
which was approximately 20t, 30t and 40t (t = 3 mm) for the
three confined CFST columns in each group. The nominal
diameter (d) of the rings was 6 mm and the nominal and
actual yield strengths of the rings were 250 MPa and
304 MPa, respectively. The rings were intermittently welded to
the external surface of the steel tube at four welding spots (sep-
arated from each other by 90°) at each level. To fully develop
the yield strength of rings, a minimum overlapping of 10d
(60 mm) was provided.
Details of the specimens are shown in Figure 1. Each specimen
was given a unique code. For example, CR20-3-114-30 rep-
resents a CFST column (first letter C) confined by rings (second
letter R) with ring spacing 20 times the thickness of steel tube
(indicated by the number after the letters); the last three groups
of numbers indicate the nominal thickness of the steel tube
(3 mm in this case), the nominal outer diameter of the steel
tube (114 mm) and the concrete cylinder strength (30 MPa),
respectively. For unconfined specimens, the code starts with the
letter C, followed by N0 instead of R. For example, CN0-3-114-
30 is the unconfined counterpart of CR20-3-114-30.
Instrumentation and testing procedure
The instrumentation and testing procedure used were the same
as in the authors’ previous research (Lai and Ho, 2014a,
2014b). To summarise, a Satec Series RD testing machine with
a maximum load of 5000 kN and a maximum displacement of
100 mm was adopted. Details of the test setup and instrumen-
tation are shown in Figure 2. Three linear variable differential
transducers (LVDTs) with 100 mm measuring displacement
were installed between the top and bottom loading platens to
record the full length axial displacement of the CFST columns.
Three bidirectional strain gauges (type FCA-5-11-3L, Tokyo
Sokki Kenkyujo Co., Ltd), separated by 120°, were installed at
around the mid-height of the external surface of the specimens
to measure the axial and hoop strains at the mid-height of the
steel tube. Several unidirectional strain gauges (type FLA-5-
11-3L, Tokyo Sokki Kenkyujo Co., Ltd) were installed on the
surface of the rings.
All the specimens were tested under displacement control. The
top surface of the CFST columns was coated with a layer of

Specimen Do: mm t: mm S: mm σsy: MPa σsyc: MPa σsyt: MPa σsut: MPa Es: GPa f c0 : MPa Ec: GPa

CR20-3-114-30 114·7 2·87 60

CR30-3-114-30 114·6 2·90 90
CR40-3-114-30 114·7 2·88 120 284·9 284·9 288·5 373·0 191·4
31·4 19·7
CN0-3-114-30 114·8 2·86 Unconfined
CN0-1-114-30 111·5 0·96 Unconfined 315·3 289·8 370·0 443·8 205·9
CR20-3-114-80 114·9 2·84 60
CR30-3-114-80 114·5 2·87 90
CR40-3-114-80 115·0 2·88 120 284·9 284·9 288·5 373·0 191·4
79·9 30·7
CN0-3-114-80 114·7 2·86 Unconfined
CN0-1-114-80 111·6 0·96 Unconfined 316·5 289·8 370·0 443·8 205·9

Table 1. List of specimens

918
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research
Volume 68 Issue 18
Overlapping of ring ≥ 60 mm
t 6
∅114·3 (Do)
Welding spot
Figure 1. Typical test specimens (dimensions in mm)
Steel ring
LVDT2 LVDT3
LVDT1
Unidirectional
strain gauges
Bidirectional
strain gauges
Steel ring
Figure 2. Test setup
rapid-hardening gypsum before preloading was applied. After
about 15 min of preloading, specimens were unloaded and the
test was started. The loading rate was kept at 0·3 mm/min for
the whole loading process. Tests were stopped when the axial
displacement was larger than 17·5 mm, which was about 0·05
axial strain, or when the applied load dropped to less than
50% of the measured maximum load, whichever was earlier.
In order to obtain the material properties of the concrete and
steel tube, six plain concrete cylinders (150
300 mm), three
HST columns (one for 3 mm thickness and two for 1 mm
thickness) and six steel tensile coupons (two for 3 mm steel
tube and four for 1 mm steel tube) were fabricated and tested
according to the appropriate standards (BSI, 1983a, 1983b,
1983c, 2009). The average concrete elastic modulus (Ec), cylin-
der strength (f 0 c ), steel elastic modulus (Es), steel tube
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
Confining and hoop stresses in
ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho
t
6
6
S
350
120°
Strain gauge
LVDT
compressive yield stress (σsyc), steel tensile yield stress (σsyt)
and steel tensile ultimate stress (σsut) are listed in Table 1. The
loading rate adopted for the concrete cylinder tests was
0·3 MPa/s (BSI, 1983b) (i.e. between 0·2–0·4 MPa/s as rec-
ommended in the standard), which can be converted to about
0·27 mm/min (i.e. strain rate at 0·0015%/s), quite close to the
loading rate adopted for the CFST columns (0·3 mm/min).
For the HST column compression tests, the instrumentation
and loading procedure were exactly the same as those used for
the CFST columns. However, for the tensile coupon tests, the
loading rate recommended by the appropriate standard (BSI,
2009) was too high. To be consistent, 0·0015%/s was adopted
as the strain rate for specimens within the elastic range and
yield plateau. After that, a higher loading rate was applied (i.e.
0·04%/s until fracture of the specimen), as suggested by Law
and Gardner (2012).
919
 Magazine of Concrete Research
Volume 68 Issue 18
It should be noted that this experimental programme was con-
ducted based on steel tube with a relatively small diameter
(139 mm) due to the limitation of the testing machine
(maximum load-carrying capacity of 5000 kN). Therefore,
further full-scale testing may be required in order to verify the
conclusions obtained in this work for mega-sized CFST
columns.
Experimental results and discussion
Material properties of steel tube
As noted earlier, compression tests on three HST columns and
tensile tests on six coupons were conducted. For the HST
columns, the axial stress against axial strain curve is shown in
Figure 3: HSTN0-3-114 represents the HST column with a
nominal thickness of 3 mm, and two specimens of 1 mm
thickness were also tested (HSTN0-1-114_1 and HSTN0-1-
114_2). It should be noted that the dimensions of HSTN0-3-
114 fulfil the slenderness limit requirements of Eurocode 3
(BSI, 1993): Do/t ≤ 21 150/σsy, while specimen HSTN0-1-114
did not. Thus, local buckling of the HST column occurred
after yielding of the steel tube for HSTN0-3-114, while
the HSTN0-1-114 specimens failed by local buckling first
and the maximum stress of HSTN0-1-114 was less than
the yield stress as obtained from the tensile coupon tests (see
Table 1).
The tensile coupons were taken at 90° from the welding part
in the longitudinal direction of untested steel tubes, which gave
the most conservative results (Hancock, 1998). The typical
400
350
300
250
Stress: MPa
200
150
100
HSTN0-1-114_1
50
0
0 0·005 0·010
Figure 3. Stress–strain curves for HST columns
920
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
Confining and hoop stresses in
ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho
curve for one coupon of 1 mm thickness is shown in Figure 4.
Generally speaking, for the strength tests of steel sections,
regardless of whether compression or tension, a static curve
should be produced (Huang and Young, 2014; Law and
Gardner, 2012), as indicated in Figure 4. The static curve was
plotted from static loads, which were obtained at key stages
(yield and ultimate) by holding the cross-head of the machine
for 1·5–2·0 min (setting the speed as 0 mm/min) in order to
allow sufficient stress relaxation to proceed. The production of
a static curve can minimise the effect of loading rates and
make the curve comparable with different research. However, it
was difficult to obtain a static curve for concrete. Stress relax-
ation in concrete after cracking resulted in the propagation of
cracks and a large reduction in stress. Thus, the stress relax-
ation phenomena of the steel and concrete were different. In
this work, quasi-static loading rates were adopted for all the
tested specimens (i.e. 0·0015%/s) and the recorded data for σsyc
and σsyt in Table 1 were based on the quasi-static curve.
Furthermore, the uniaxial steel yield strength (σsy) and elastic
modulus (Es) adopted for the CFST columns were based on
compression tests of 3 mm thick HST column specimens, as
suggested by Young and Ellobody (2006).
For the 1 mm thick steel tube, since local buckling occurred
before yielding, the maximum stress of the steel tube had to be
calculated. For CFST columns, due to the supporting effect of
the in-fill concrete, the local buckling resistance of the steel
tube is improved. According to equations derived by Bradford
et al. (2002), the theoretical elastic buckling stress for the steel
tube of CFST columns is 31/2 (or 1·73) times that of HST
HSTN0-1-114_2 HSTN0-3-114
0·015 0·020 0·025
Axial strain
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

500

450

400

350

300
Stress: Mpa

250
Tested curve
200
Static curve
150

100

50

0
0 0·02 0·04 0·06 0·08 0·10 0·12 0·14 0·16 0·18
Axial strain

Figure 4. Stress–strain curves for 1 mm thick steel coupon

columns. Thus, the modified ratio in Eurocode 3 (BSI, 1993)
could be adopted in the current work, given by
 
Do pffiffiffi 235 366329
1:  90 3 
t σ sy σ sy
2: σ syc  σ sy  σ syt
The calculated values of σsy for the 1 mm thick specimens are
shown in Table 1.
Axial load against axial strain (displacement) curves
Figure 5(a) shows the axial load plotted against axial strain
(displacement) for all the CFST columns. The axial load was
directly obtained from the Satec Series RD machine and the
axial strain was obtained from modified LVDTs readings,
adjusted for axial deformation of the capping material (Lai
and Ho, 2014a). For the normal-strength-concrete-filled steel
tube (NSCFST) columns with t = 3 mm, the axial load
increased as axial strain increased during the loading process,
even for the post-elastic branch. For the high-strength-
concrete-filled steel tube (HSCFST) columns with t = 3 mm,
the axial load dropped in the post-elastic stage. This implies
that the confining effect provided by the steel tube and external
rings was not sufficient to compensate for the strength loss due
to concrete crushing. Thus, it can be concluded that the
smaller the ring spacing, the higher the load-carrying capacity.
This is because, with a closer spacing of rings, the confining
stress becomes higher and more uniform, thus enhancing the
strength of the CFST column.
Comparing different steel tube thicknesses, it is evident that
CFST columns with a thicker tube will have higher load-
carrying capacity and more ductile behaviour. To study the
effects of tube thickness on the behaviour of CFST columns,
the normalised axial load was plotted against strain (displace-
ment) for the four unconfined specimens, as shown in
Figure 5(b). The axial loads were normalised with respect to
the nominal squash load of the CFST column, defined as
the sum of the load-carrying capacities of the concrete and the
steel tube. The four unconfined specimens show almost the
same initial elastic branch, indicating that the confining effect
provided by the steel tube does not significantly affect the
initial elastic branch. This is attributed to the fact that the steel
tube dilates more than the core concrete in the initial elastic
stage, resulting in zero or even negative confining stress. On the
other hand, specimens with a thicker steel tube present a
steeper slope for the post-elastic part, reflecting the larger con-
fining stress provided by the thicker steel tube at this stage.
The normalised axial load of CN0-1-114-30 was maintained at
about 1·21 after reaching the maximum value in the post-
elastic branch, while the normalised axial load kept increasing
for CN0-3-114-30. It is believed that CN0-3-114-30 would
have deformed even more at constant or higher load ratio if
loading was not stopped suddenly at 1·35% axial strain due to

921
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

Displacement: mm
0 5 10 15 20
1400

1200

1000

800
Load: kN

600

400 CN0-1-114-30 CN0-3-114-30

CR(6)20-3-114-30 CR(6)30-3-114-30
CR(6)40-3-114-30 CN0-1-114-80
200
CR(6)20-3-114-80 CR(6)30-3-114-80
CR(6)40-3-114-80 CN0-3-114-80
0
0 0·01 0·02 0·03 0·04 0·05 0·06
Strain
(a)

Displacement: mm
0 2 4 6 8 10

1·2

1·0
Normalised axial load

0·8

0·6

0·4
CN0-3-114-30
CN0-1-114-30
0·2
CN0-3-114-80
CN0-1-114-80
0
0 0·005 0·010 0·015 0·020 0·025 0·030
Strain
(b)

Figure 5. (a) Load–strain (displacement) curves for CFST columns. specimen names in Figure 5(a) represent the diameter of the
(b) Normalised axial load–strain (displacement) curves for external rings
unconfined CFST columns. The bracketed numbers in some

a technical problem. CN0-3-114-80 also shows a more ductile the maximum axial load at larger axial strain. This is because
behaviour than CN0-1-114-80. Generally speaking, it can be normal-strength concrete (NSC) is more ductile than HSC and
said that the specimens with lower strength concrete reached hence the cracking of NSC occurs more gradually than in

922
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

HSC during the post-elastic stage, resulting in smaller concrete
dilation and confining stress.
To quantify the effectiveness of external rings, the ultimate
strength (Nexp) and initial stiffness (Ecs) are listed in Table 2.
Nexp is defined as the strength at 1·5% strain or the first peak
strength, whichever is larger. This definition of Nexp was used
here because
& for most of the CFST columns showing strain degradation
at the post-peak stage, the strain corresponding to the peak
strength was generally smaller than 1·5% (Lai and Ho,
2015b)
& the steel tube was in the yield stage at 1·5% strain, when
the strain hardening behaviour of the steel tube can be
ignored (Ho et al., 2005)
& most of the strain gauges did not fail before 1·5% strain,
which is very important for the analysis; for
specimen CN0-3-114-30, since the tested stopped at
1·35% strain, the load gained at the end of the test was
termed Nexp.
On the other hand, Ecs was taken as the slope of the initial
part of the axial load–strain curves, and further divided by the
cross-sectional area of the CFST column (contact steel area
(As) plus contact concrete area (Ac)). Two parameters were
adopted to evaluate the effects of the rings; these were the
enhancement ratios for strength (α) and elastic stiffness (β),
given by
where Nexp-c and Nexp-u refer to the ultimate loads for confined
and unconfined specimens, respectively and Ecs-c and Ecs-u
refer to the elastic stiffnesses for confined and unconfined
specimens respectively.
It can be concluded from Table 2 that both the strength and
elastic stiffness were improved with the addition of rings. The
maximum improvement in ultimate load by adding rings was
10% for CR20-3-114-30. More importantly, the more rings
added, the larger were the enhancement ratios. It can therefore
be concluded that rings are highly effective in improving the
uniaxial behaviour of CFST columns.
Failure modes
The failure modes of the tested CFST columns are shown in
Figure 6. Generally speaking, the specimens failed by local
buckling. It can be observed from Figures 6(a) and 6(b) that
the unconfined specimens locally buckled near the column
ends while, for the ring-confined specimens, due to the effective
confinement provided by rings, end effect buckling was not
seen. Instead, bulges were found between adjacent rows of
rings. Moreover, as HSC is more brittle than NSC, the steel
tube of CR30-3-114-80 split at mid-height, which was not
observed in the NSCFST columns. For unconfined columns
with different tube thickness (Figures 6(a)–6(c)), the failure
mode of CN0-1-114-80 was irregular local buckling, indicating
brittle shear failure of the in-filled concrete. This implies that
the 1 mm steel tube was not sufficient to confine 80 MPa con-
crete, in agreement with previous results (Lai and Ho, 2014b).

Nexp c It should be noted that, although rings can improve the

3: α¼
Nexp u strength, elastic stiffness and ductility simultaneously, they are
aesthetically less desirable. However, in practical construction
of ring-confined CFST columns, steel tubes with external con-
finement will generally not be the ultimate finished surface
Ecsc and it is likely that a cover of concrete or other fire-resistant
4: β¼
Ecsu material will be provided to increase the corrosion and fire
resistance of the columns.

Specimen Nexp: kN Strength ratio, α Ecs: GPa Stiffness ratio, β

CR20-3-114-30 788 1·10 43·2 1·19

CR30-3-114-30 776 1·08 40·9 1·13
CR40-3-114-30 765 1·07 39·3 1·08
CN0-3-114-30 717 1·00 36·3 1·00
CN0-1-114-30 479 — 26·1 —
CR20-3-114-80 1281 1·07 48·2 1·07
CR30-3-114-80 1266 1·06 47·0 1·04
CR40-3-114-80 1220 1·02 49·1 1·09
CN0-3-114-80 1199 1·00 45·1 1·00
CN0-1-114-80 955 — 35·5 —

Table 2. Strength and stiffness of CFST columns

923
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

End effect Local buckling between rings

(a)

End effect Local buckling between rings Rupture of steel tube

(b)
End effect

Irregular
local
buckling

(c)

Figure 6. Failure modes: (a) CRn-3-114-30 specimens and

counterpart specimen without rings; (b) CRn-3-114-80 and
counterpart specimen without rings; (c) CN0-1-114-X (left, NSC;
right, HSC)

924
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research
Volume 68 Issue 18
Modelling of thin-walled CFST columns
In order to better understand the structural behaviour of
unconfined and ring-confined CFST columns fabricated using
thin-walled steel tube, a precise model that considers the steel–
concrete interface bonding condition, the stress state of the
steel tube and the behaviour of the core concrete was devel-
oped. The model starts with the experimental hoop–axial
strain relationship and this is followed by the Prandtl–Reuss
theory for steel tubes. The behaviour of individual components
of CFST columns is then discussed.
Hoop stress in steel tubes
Two methods for measuring the axial strains of CFST columns
under uniaxial load were proposed by the authors (Lai and Ho,
2014a) – one is to take the average value of the axial strains
measured by three bidirectional strain gauges at mid-height and
the other is to use modified LVDT readings by considering the
capping effect. The difference obtained using these two
methods is shown in Figure 7: all the curves in the figure
overlap with the line of equality. For the CFST columns with a
3 mm thick tube and concrete cylinder strength of 30 MPa, the
axial strains measured by the two methods are similar until
0·003. Beyond this value, the axial strains measured by the
strain gauges are generally larger than those from the modified
LVDT readings, except for CN0-3-114-30. This can be
explained by the failure modes shown in Figure 6(a): apart
from CN0-3-114-30, all the other specimens were locally
0·020
0·018
0·016
Axial strain (modified LVDT readings)
0·014
0·012
0·010
0·008
0·006
0·004
0·002
0
0 0·002
Figure 7. Axial strains from modified LVDT readings against axial
strains from strain gauges. The bracketed numbers in some
specimen names represent the diameter of the external rings
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
Confining and hoop stresses in
ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho
buckled near mid-height, leading to significant localised defor-
mation and thus larger axial strains were measured by the strain
gauges. The same trend can also be seen for CR20-3-114-80
(Figure 6(b)). For the other specimens with 3 mm tube thick-
ness and concrete cylinder strength of 80 MPa, the axial strains
measured by the two methods are close to the line of equality.
Although outward folding and steel rupture were observed in
CR30-3-114-80 (Figure 6(b)), they appeared at a later loading
stage (i.e. axial strain larger than 1·5%). Thus, the axial strains
obtained from both methods are similar for these specimens. It
can also be noted that beyond axial strains of 1% and 1·2% for
CN0-3-114-80 and CR40-3-114-80, respectively, the axial
strains measured by the modified LVDT readings become sig-
nificantly larger than those by the strain gauges, indicating that
local buckling occurred far from mid-height (end effect; see
Figure 6(b)). For specimens CN0-1-114-30 and CN0-1-114-80,
since the end effect occurred earlier, the axial strains measured
by strain gauges are generally larger.
In this study, the axial strains measured by the strain gauges at
mid-height were employed in the stress analysis of the steel
tube. However, as axial strain increases, outward buckling
occurs. At this stage, as there was significant slippage between
the concrete and the steel tube, the axial strains measured by
the strain gauges did not reflect the strains in the core concrete
and CFST columns. Therefore, the axial strains obtained from
modified LVDT readings were chosen for the core concrete
and CFST columns.
y=x
CN0-1-114-30
CN0-3-114-30
CR(6)20-3-114-30
CR(6)30-3-114-30
CR(6)40-3-114-30
CN0-1-114-80
CN0-3-114-80
CR(6)20-3-114-80
CR(6)30-3-114-80
CR(6)40-3-114-80
0·004 0·006 0·008 0·010 0·012 0·014 0·016 0·018 0·020
Axial strain (strain gauges)
925
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

The hoop strains of the steel tube were obtained by averaging 2014b). The hoop–axial strain curves for the steel tubes of the
the three bidirectional strain gauge readings in the hoop direc- ring-confined specimens are shown in Figure 10. The curves
tion, while the hoop strains of the steel rings were obtained are higher for specimens with a closer ring spacing, revealing
directly from readings of the unidirectional strain gauges on that the restraining effect of core concrete increases as ring
the rings. As an example, the hoop–axial strain curves of spacing decreases.
CR20-3-114-80 are shown in Figure 8, with the axial strains
being those measured by the strain gauges. There were six Axial stress–strain curve of steel tube
rings on CR20-3-114-80, but only three rings were fitted with The stress state of the steel tube at mid-height can be evaluated
strain gauges due to symmetry (Lai and Ho, 2015b). Ring 1 from the hoop–axial strain relationships with the aid of
refers to the ring at the top of the specimen and ring 3 is the Prandtl–Reuss theory. In this work, since the maximum axial
ring at mid-height. Figure 8 shows that the hoop strains for strain considered is 1·5%, the uniaxial stress–strain curve of
ring 3 were larger than for rings 1 and 2, which indicates that steel tube in compression can be assumed as linearly elastic–
the confinement effectiveness of the rings varies along the tube perfectly plastic. In the following analysis, tensile stress and
and the steel ring near the mid-height is the most effective. A strain are taken as negative, and compressive stress and strain
straight line representing the steel ring yield strain is plotted in are positive. In the initial elastic stage, according to the gener-
Figure 8. It can be seen that ring 3 yields at about 0·65% axial alised Hooke’s law (in incremental form)
strain, and rings 1 and 2 yield at about 1·1% axial strain. It
can also be noted from Figure 8 that, before yielding, the 2 3
4 2 2
hoop–axial strain curve of the steel tube remains linear (i.e. 8 i 9 6K þ G K G K  G 78 9
> 3 3 3 7> dεisz >
< sz >
dσ = 6
6 < =
before 0·2% axial strain). After yielding of the steel tube has 6 2 4 2 7
5: dσ sθ ¼ 6 K  G
i
Kþ G K  G7 dεi
started, the hoop strain increases rapidly due to significant >
: i ; 6 > 3 3 3 77>
: i >
sθ
;
expansion of the core concrete. dσ sr 4 2 2 4 5 dεsr
K G K G Kþ G
3 3 3
Figure 9 shows the hoop–axial strain curves of the steel tube
of all the unconfined specimens. The figure indicates that
the measured hoop strains at a given axial strain increase as
the thickness of steel tube decreases. Furthermore, the hoop Es
6: K¼
strain increases with concrete strength. The findings are con- 3ð1  νs Þ
sistent with test results obtained previously (Lai and Ho,

–0·002

–0·004

–0·006
Hoop strain

–0·008 Steel tube

Extensometer
Ring 1
–0·010 Ring 2
Ring 3
Ring yield strain

–0·012

–0·014
0 0·002 0·004 0·006 0·008 0·010 0·012 0·014
Axial strain (strain gauges)

Figure 8. Hoop–axial strain relationships for CR20-3-114-80

926
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

–0·001

–0·002

–0·003

–0·004
Hoop strain

–0·005

CN0-3-114-30
–0·006
CN0-3-114-80
–0·007 CN0-1-114-30
CN0-1-114-80
–0·008

–0·009

–0·010
0 0·002 0·004 0·006 0·008 0·010 0·012
Axial strain (strain gauges)

Figure 9. Hoop–axial strain curves of the steel tube of unconfined

CFST columns

–0·002

–0·004

–0·006
Hoop strain

–0·008
CR20-3-114-30 CR30-3-114-30

CR40-3-114-30 CR20-3-114-80
–0·010
CR30-3-114-80 CR40-3-114-80

–0·012

–0·014
0 0·005 0·010 0·015 0·020
Axial strain (strain gauges)

Figure 10. Hoop–axial strain curves of the steel tube of

ring-confined specimens

927
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

Es and i is the present stress or strain increment number. The

7: G¼
2ð1 þ νs Þ yield surface of the steel tube is determined by the von Mises
yield criterion

14: σ 2sz  σ sz σ sθ þ σ 2sθ ¼ σ 2sy

During the plastic stage, the famous Prandtl–Reuss equations
are adopted

2 3
4 2 2
8 i 9 6 K þ G  ωSz K  G  ωSz Sθ K  G  ωSz Sr 78
2
9
> dσ > 6 3 3 3 7> dεi >
>
< sz >
= 6 7>
< sz > =
6 2 4 2 7
8: dσ isθ ¼6 K  G  ωSz Sθ K þ G  ωSθ2 K  G  ωSθ Sr 7 dεisθ
>
> >
> 6 7> >
: i ; 6 3 3 3 7>
: i > ;
dσ sr 4 2 2 4 5 dε sr
K  G  ωSz Sr K  G  ωSθ Sr K þ G  ωSr2
3 3 3

For a perfectly plastic material The stresses in the steel tube can be studied using Equations
10–14 and the hoop–axial strain curves of the specimens. To
3G eliminate measurement noise of the loading machine,
9: ω¼
σ 2sy smoothed hoop–axial strain relationships should be adopted
(Hu et al., 2011) for the steel tube.

The calculated axial stress–strain curves for the steel tubes

For CFST columns with a thin-walled steel tube, it is reason-
using Equations 10–14 are shown in Figure 11, in which the
able to ignore the small radial stress (σsr) of the steel tube.
axial strains are the modified LVDT readings. All the curves in
Thus, the steel tube can be assumed to be in plane stress and
Figure 11 stop at 1·5% axial strain except CN0-3-114-30 and
the above equations become
CN0-1-114-80; these curves stop earlier due to a technical
( )  ( ) problem with the testing machine and low ductility, respect-
dσ isz Es 1 νs dεisz ively. Figure 11 shows that the axial stress increases linearly as
10: ¼
dσ isθ 1  νs νs 1 dεisθ axial strain increases until it is slightly higher than the steel
yield stress. The difference between the largest axial stress
obtained and the steel yield stress is due to the different dilata-
tional properties of the steel tube and the concrete, resulting in
During the plastic stage, the incremental form of the stress–
positive hoop stress (compression) at the initial loading stage
strain relationship should be used
and hence the larger value of axial stress. For the ring-confined
( ) " #( ) specimens, the confining effect of the rings may also increase
dσ isz Es Sθ2 Sz Sθ dεisz
11: ¼ the axial stress of the steel tubes. As axial strain increases, the
dσ isθ Sz þ Sθ þ 2νs Sz Sθ Sz Sθ
2 2
Sz2 dεisθ axial stress drops for all the specimens after the peak point
because concrete dilates more than the steel tube, leading to
In particular, negative hoop stress (tension) and a drop in axial stress.
Interestingly, it can be seen from Figure 11 that the axial stress
1  i1  degrades more rapidly in columns filled with HSC rather than
12: Sz ¼ 2σ sz  σ i1
sθ
3 NSC, which is because HSC dilates more than NSC and the
confining stress provided at a given axial strain is larger. Due
to the confining effect provided by the steel rings, the axial
1  i1  stress drops more gradually for the ring-confined specimens.
13: Sθ ¼ 2σ sθ  σ i1
sz
3 On the other hand, at a given concrete strength, the axial
stress drops more rapidly as the tube thickness decreases. In
In the above equations, σsz, σsθ and σsr respectively refer to the particular, the axial stress of CN0-1-114-80 drops almost to
axial, hoop and radial stresses of steel tube, K and G are the zero at an axial strain of 0·008, which is due to the local buck-
bulk and shear moduli of the steel tube, νs is Poisson’s ratio of ling that occurred near the bottom surface as shown in
the steel tube (taken as 0·3 in this paper), εsz, εsθ and εsr are Figure 6(c).
respectively the axial, hoop and radial strains of the steel tube,
ω is the hardening parameter, Sz, Sθ and Sr respectively refer Curves of calculated hoop stress against axial strain (by modi-
to the deviatoric stresses in axial, hoop and radial directions fied LVDT readings) are plotted in Figure 12. For all the

928
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

350

300

250
Axial stress: MPa

200

150

100 CN0-1-114-30
CN0-3-114-30
CR20-3-114-30
CR30-3-114-30
50 CR40-3-114-30
CN0-1-114-80
CN0-3-114-80
CR20-3-114-80
0
0 0·002 0·004 0·006 0·008 0·010 0·012 0·014 0·016
Axial strain (modified LVDT readings)

Figure 11. Axial stress–strain curves for steel tubes

50

–50

–100
Hoop stress: MPa

–150

–200
CN0-1-114-30
CN0-3-114-30
–250 CR20-3-114-30
CR30-3-114-30
CR40-3-114-30
–300 CN0-1-114-80
CN0-3-114-80
CR20-3-114-80
–350
0 0·002 0·004 0·006 0·008 0·010 0·012 0·014 0·016
Axial strain (modified LVDT readings)

Figure 12. Hoop stress against axial strain curves for steel tubes

specimens, it can be seen that the hoop stresses remain positive Beyond that, as the lateral expansion of the in-filled concrete
(compression) until 0·15%–0·25% axial strain due to the differ- increases rapidly and becomes larger than that of the steel
ent dilation properties of the steel tube and the concrete. tube, the hoop stresses turn negative (tension). It can also be

929
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

noted that the hoop stress decreases (in magnitude) as concrete 2t

16: frS ¼  σ sθ
strength decreases, or the steel tube thickness increases, or as Do  2t
the spacing of rings decreases.

To gain a better understanding of the stress history of the steel

tube, the hoop–axial stress curves for unconfined CFST  
P
n
columns are plotted in Figure 13. As explained earlier, a posi- πd 2 ðεssr Þi Essr
i¼1
tive hoop stress was obtained together with a rapid increase in 17: frR ¼ 
2HðDo  2tÞ
axial stress. As the axial strain increases further, the develop-
ment of microcracks in the core concrete causes significant
lateral dilation. Thus, the hoop stress gradually changes to
negative. Finally, the steel tube fails by reaching the von Mises
yield surface. Since the lateral expansion of concrete increases 18: ðεssr Þi Essr  σ ssr
continuously under compression, so does the hoop stress. As a
result, the axial stress of the steel tube decreases. It can also be where fr, frS and frR are respectively the total confining stress,
seen that, for some specimens, the maximum principal stress confining stress provided by the steel tube and confining stress
changes from the axial to the hoop direction, as the hoop provided by the steel rings, εssr, Essr and σssr are respectively the
stress obtained at failure is larger than the respective axial hoop strain, elastic modulus and yield stress of steel rings and
stress (specimens CN0-3-114-80 and CN0-1-114-80). n is the total number of steel rings.

The total confining stress ( fr) is plotted against the axial strain
Total confining stress and interface bond stress (from modified LVDT readings) in Figure 14. To examine the
The confining stress provided to the core concrete by the steel confining mechanism in ring-confined specimens, the various
tube and rings can be evaluated by considering the free-body components of confining stress evaluated for specimens CR20-
diagram (Lai and Ho, 2014b) 3-114-80 are shown in Figure 15. It can be seen from Figure
14 that, for the unconfined specimens at the initial stage of
15: fr ¼ frS þ frR loading, the total confining stress (also confining stress from
the steel tube only) is negative (due to positive hoop stress).

50

–50

–100
Hoop stress: MPa

–150

–200

–250 CN0-3-114-30
CN0-3-114-80
CN0-1-114-30
–300 CN0-1-114-80
y=0

–350
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Axial stress: MPa

Figure 13. Hoop–axial stress relationships (unconfined CFST

columns)

930
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

14
CN0-1-114-30
CN0-3-114-30
CR20-3-114-30
12 CR30-3-114-30
CR40-3-114-30
CN0-1-114-80
10 CN0-3-114-80
CR20-3-114-80
Total confining stress: MPa

0
0 0·002 0·004 0·006 0·008 0·010 0·012 0·014 0·016
Axial strain (modified LVDT readings)
–2

Figure 14. Total confining stress against axial strain curves

12
Total
Steel tube
10 Steel rings

8
Confining stress: MPa

0
0 0·002 0·004 0·006 0·008 0·010 0·012 0·014 0·016
Axial strain (modified LVDT readings)
–2

Figure 15. Confining stress by steel tube and steel rings for
CR20-3-114-80

For the ring-confined specimens, the total confining stress is Figure 15). Furthermore, it can be observed from Figure 14
larger. This is because the additional confinement provided by that the confining stress increases as the concrete strength and
the rings counterbalances the effect of the different dilation thickness of the steel tube increase. Figure 15 shows that as the
properties of the steel tube and the concrete (see also concrete dilates at later stages of loading, the hoop stress

931
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

becomes the major component of the confining stress and, at Specimen Do: mm t: mm fr: MPa fb: MPa
the same time, the confining stress provided by the steel rings
remains constant because the steel has yielded. CR20-3-114-30 114·7 2·87 −0·01 2·46
CR30-3-114-30 114·6 2·90 −0·05 2·46
The initial negative confining stress occurs only when the CR40-3-114-30 114·7 2·88 −0·05 2·46
steel–concrete interface bonding is intact (i.e. before the CN0-3-114-30 114·8 2·86 −0·48 2·46
maximum interface bond stress has been reached). This CN0-1-114-30 111·5 0·96 −0·08 0·08
maximum stress depends on the geometry of the CFST CR20-3-114-80 114·9 2·84 −0·05 2·54
columns, the concrete cylinder strength, the roughness of the CR30-3-114-80 114·5 2·87 −0·01 2·56
steel–concrete interface, the concrete compaction method and CR40-3-114-80 115·0 2·88 −0·03 2·56
so on. Based on experimental studies, Virdi and Dowling CN0-3-114-80 114·7 2·86 −0·41 2·56
(1980) suggested that the bond stress can be taken as 1 MPa in CN0-1-114-80 111·6 0·96 −0·10 0·09
practical design. Xue and Cai (1996) related the bond stress to
the concrete cylinder strength only. Research by Roeder et al. Sign convention: confining stress ( fr) follows Figure 15
(1999) covered a large range of Do/t ratios as parameters, and (compression as positive); bond stress ( fb) follows Equation 20
(tension as positive)
they concluded that the interface bond shear stress for CFST
columns varied as the Do/t ratio changed. In this study, the
Table 3. Confining stress and interface bond stress of specimens
steel tube used was relatively thin and the former two research
studies did not consider Do/t ≥ 100. Thus, the equation pro-
posed by Roeder et al. (1999) for the mean bond shear stress
(τb) is adopted in this paper (Do/t ≤ 120) tube (Fs) from the total axial load of the CFST column (Ft).
Moreover, the confined concrete stress ( fcc) is equal to the
19: τ b ¼ 2314  00195ðDo =tÞ ratio of axial load of confined concrete to the contact concrete
area (Ac). For the axial strain less than 1·5% in this study,
Ac can be assumed to remain unchanged. In mathematical
By adopting the Coulomb friction model with the frictional form
factor μ = 0·6 (Han et al., 2007), the steel–concrete interface
bond stress ( fb) can be calculated as 22: Fs ¼ σ sz As

20: μfb  τ b

In particular, fb should be smaller than the ultimate tensile 23: Fc ¼ Ft  Fs

stress of concrete ( fct), which can be evaluated using Eurocode
2 (BSI, 2004)
(
03ð f c0  8Þ2=3 f c0  60 Fc
21: fct ¼ 24: fcc ¼
Ac
212 lnð1 þ f c0 =10Þ f c0 . 60

It is also assumed that the contact steel area (As) remains

unchanged for axial strain less than 1·5%.
The calculated minimum total confining stress ( fr) is compared
with the steel–concrete interface bond stress ( fb) in Table 3.
Using Equation 22–24, the axial stress–strain curves for con-
This reveals that, for all the specimens except CN0-1-114-80,
fined concrete can be obtained. These curves are shown in
fb is always larger than fr in magnitude. For CN0-1-114-80,
Figure 16, and the maximum confined concrete stresses for all
fr is slightly larger than fb. However, it is believed that the
the specimens are recorded in Table 4, in which fcc-c and fcc-u
steel–concrete interface bonding is still intact because τb is
refer to the maximum confined concrete stresses for ring-
the average bond stress, which can vary from 0·093 MPa to
confined and unconfined specimens, respectively. It is evident
0·145 MPa for specimens with Do/t = 108 (Roeder et al., 1999).
from Figure 16 and Table 4 that the maximum confined con-
Thus, it is concluded that no debonding occurred in any of the
crete stress is enhanced by the addition of rings. For NSCFST
tested specimens.
columns, the confined concrete stress keeps increasing while,
for HSCFST columns confined by 3 mm thick steel tube, the
Confined concrete stress confined concrete stress remains nearly constant. This proves
The axial load carried by the confined concrete (Fc) can be that, in order to maintain the same level of ductility, higher
obtained by subtracting the axial load carried by the steel strength concrete needs more confinement. Furthermore, it can

932
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research Confining and hoop stresses in
Volume 68 Issue 18 ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho

140 CN0-1-114-30
CN0-3-114-30
CR20-3-114-30
CR30-3-114-30
120 CR40-3-114-30
CN0-1-114-80
CN0-3-114-80
CR20-3-114-80
100
Confined concrete stress: MPa

80

60

40

20

0
0 0·002 0·004 0·006 0·008 0·010 0·012 0·014 0·016
Axial strain (modified LVDT readings)

Figure 16. Axial stress–strain relationships of confined concrete

provided. However, as reported previously (Lai and Ho,

Specimen fcc: MPa fcc-c/fcc-u fcc/fc0 2015b), in terms of the strength and ductility of CFST
CR20-3-114-30 59·8 1·13 1·90 columns, there is no difference between intermittent welding at
CR30-3-114-30 63·2 1·20 2·01 four welding spots (separated from each other by 90°) and
CR40-3-114-30 60·7 1·15 1·93 intermittent welding at eight welding spots evenly distributed
CN0-3-114-30 52·8 1·00 1·68 around the circumference of the steel tube’s external surface.
CN0-1-114-30 44·6 — 1·42 This indicates that welding spots do not affect the behaviour of
CR20-3-114-80 117·8 1·06 1·47 CFST columns significantly as long as the yield strength of the
CR30-3-114-80 118·1 1·06 1·48 rings can be fully utilised. This is consistent with the con-
CR40-3-114-80 115·7 1·04 1·45 clusion drawn by the Chinese code CECS 28 (Chinese Code
CN0-3-114-80 111·1 1·00 1·39 CECS 28, 2012). To be conservative, it is recommended that
CN0-1-114-80 98·2 — 1·23 the rings should be fillet welded over the whole circumference
in practical construction.
Table 4. Strength of confined concrete in CFST columns
Conclusions
This paper reports on the authors’ continued study of CFST
columns confined by external rings to better understand their
be observed from Figure 16 that the difference in the initial structural behaviour, especially for thin-walled columns.
elastic portion for the same concrete cylinder strength is small, External steel rings are used to restrict the lateral dilation of
indicating little effect of steel tube thickness at this stage. the steel tube and the core concrete in the early elastic stage,
However, specimens confined by the 3 mm thick steel tube and to constrain inelastic outward buckling of the steel tube in
generally have a higher post-peak branch, showing that a the inelastic stage. Moreover, rings can also provide large con-
thicker steel tube can provide larger confining stress (also see fining stress, thereby improving the uniaxial behaviour of
Table 4), which can eventually prevent strength softening in CFST columns. To demonstrate the effectiveness of rings, ten
higher strength concrete (compare CN0-3-114-80 and CN0-1- CFST columns with thin-walled steel tube were fabricated and
114-80). tested under uniaxial load. The main parameters examined
were the steel tube diameter/thickness ratio, the concrete cylin-
It should be noted that intermittent tack welding of external der strength and the spacing of the external rings. By using the
rings would provide some variations to the confining stress experimental hoop–axial strain relationships obtained and the

933
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Magazine of Concrete Research
Volume 68 Issue 18
Prandtl–Reuss theory for thin-walled steel tubes, the true struc-
tural behaviour of CFST columns was studied. The experimen-
tal and analytical studies indicate the following.
& Due to the supporting effect provided by the core concrete,
the buckling resistance of thin-walled steel tubes is
improved.
& External rings are highly effective in improving the
strength, elastic stiffness, ductility and the interface
bonding condition of CFST columns.
& For unconfined CFST columns, the failure mode is ‘end
effect’ type buckling; due to the confining effect of external
rings, the failure mode of ring-confined CFST columns is
outward folding between two adjacent rows of steel rings.
& Attributed to the different dilation properties of steel and
concrete, the total confining stress is negative for uncon-
fined CFST columns (i.e. debonding occurs). The provision
of external rings can counterbalance the debonding stress
at the initial stage and improve the uniaxial performance
of CFST columns.
& The total confining stress increases as the thickness of the
steel tube or concrete strength increases.
This study provides a link between the authors’ previous exper-
imental and theoretical studies on the stress–strain behaviour
of CFST columns. Some observations on the hoop–axial strain
behaviour (e.g. measured hoop strains at a given axial strain
increase as the thickness of the steel tube decreases, hoop
strains increase with concrete strength, and hoop–axial strain
curves are higher for specimens with closer ring spacings) are
important findings for the development of a theoretical stress–
strain model for confined CFST columns, which will be pre-
sented in future work.
Acknowledgements
The work described in this paper was substantially supported
by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region, China (project no. HKU
712310E). Technical support for the experimental tests pro-
vided by the laboratory staff of the Department of Civil
Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, is gratefully
acknowledged.
REFERENCES
Bradford MA, Loh HY and Uy B (2002) Slenderness limits for
filled circular steel tubes. Journal of Constructional Steel
Research 58(2): 243–252.
BSI (1983a) BS 1881-110: 1983: Testing concrete. Method for
making test cylinders from fresh concrete. BSI, London,
UK.
BSI (1983b) BS 1881-120:1983: Testing concrete. Method for
determination of the compressive strength of concrete
cores. BSI, London, UK.
934
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
Confining and hoop stresses in
ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho
BSI (1983c) BS 1881-121: 1983: Testing concrete. Method for
determination of static modulus of elasticity in
compression. BSI, London, UK.
BSI (1993) BS EN 1993-1-1: Eurocode 3: Design of steel
structures. Part 1-1: General rules and rules for buildings.
BSI, London, UK.
BSI (2004) BS EN 1992-1-1: Eurocode 2: Design of concrete
structures. Part 1-1: General rules and rules for buildings.
BSI, London, UK.
BSI (2009) BS EN ISO 6892-1: 2009: Metallic materials.
Tensile testing. Method of test at ambient temperature.
BSI, London, UK.
Cai J and He ZQ (2006) Axial load behavior of square CFT stub
column with binding bars. Journal of Constructional Steel
Research 62(5): 472–483.
Chinese Code (2012) CECS 28: Technical specification for
concrete-filled steel tubular structures. Chinese Engineering
Construction Society, China Planning Press, Beijing, China
(in Chinese).
Dabaon M, El-Khoriby S, El-Boghdadi M and Hassanein MF
(2009) Confinement effect of stiffened and unstiffened
concrete-filled stainless steel tubular stub columns. Journal
of Constructional Steel Research 65(8): 1846–1854.
Ganesh Prabhu G and Sundarraja M (2013) Behaviour of
concrete filled steel tubular (CFST) short columns
externally reinforced using CFRP strips composite.
Construction and Building Materials 47: 1362–1371.
Han LH, Yao GH and Zhao XL (2005) Tests and calculations
for hollow structural steel (HSS) stub columns filled with
self-consolidating concrete (SCC). Journal of
Constructional Steel Research 61(9): 1241–1269.
Han LH, Yao GH and Tao Z (2007) Performance of
concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubes under pure torsion.
Thin-Walled Structures 45(1): 24–36.
Hancock GJ (1998) Design of Cold-formed Steel Structures to
Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 4600:1996.
Australian Institute of Steel Construction, Sydney, NSW,
Australia.
Ho JCM and Lai MH (2013) Behaviour of uni-axially loaded
CFST columns confined by tie bars. Journal of
Constructional Steel Research 83: 37–50.
Ho JCM, Au FTK and Kwan AKH (2005) Effects of strain
hardening of steel reinforcement on flexural strength and
ductility of concrete beams. Structural Engineering and
Mechanics 19(2): 185–198.
Ho JCM,Lai MH and Luo L (2014) Uni-axial behaviour of
confined high-strength CFST columns. Proceedings of the
Institution of Civil Engineers – Structures and Buildings
167(9): 520–533, http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/stbu.13.00004.
Hu YM, Yu T and Teng JG (2011) FRP-confined circular
concrete-filled thin steel tubes under axial compression.
Journal of Composites for Construction 15(5):
850–860.
Huang Y and Young B (2014) The art of coupon tests. Journal
of Constructional Steel Research 96: 159–175.
 Magazine of Concrete Research
Volume 68 Issue 18
Huang CS, Yeh YK, Liu GY et al. (2002) Axial load behavior of
stiffened concrete-filled steel columns. Journal of Structural
Engineering 128(9): 1222–1230.
Lai MH and Ho JCM (2014a) Behaviour of uni-axially loaded
concrete-filled-steel-tube columns confined by external
rings. The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings
23(6): 403–426.
Lai MH and Ho JCM (2014b) Confinement effect of ring-
confined concrete-filled-steel-tube columns under uni-axial
load. Engineering Structures 67: 123–141.
Lai MH and Ho JCM (2015a) Effect of continuous spirals on
uni-axial strength and ductility of CFST columns. Journal
of Constructional Steel Research 104: 235–249.
Lai MH and Ho JCM (2015b) Optimal design of external rings
for confined CFST columns. Magazine of Concrete
Research 67(19): 1017–1032, http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/
macr.14.00348.
Law K and Gardner L (2012) Lateral instability of elliptical
hollow section beams. Engineering Structures 37: 152–166.
Lu X and Hsu CTT (2007) Tangent Poisson’s ratio of high-
strength concrete in triaxial compression. Magazine of
Concrete Research 59(1): 69–77, http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/
macr.2007.59.1.69.
O’Shea MD and Bridge RQ (2000) Design of circular thin-
walled concrete filled steel tubes. Journal of Structural
Engineering 126(11): 1295–1303.
Petrus C, Hamid HA, Ibrahim A and Parke G (2010)
Experimental behaviour of concrete filled thin walled steel
tubes with tab stiffeners. Journal of Constructional Steel
Research 66(7): 915–922.
Roeder CW, Cameron B and Brown CB (1999) Composite action
in concrete filled tubes. Journal of Structural Engineering
125(5): 477–484.
Downloaded by [ University of Hong Kong] on [19/12/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
View publication stats
Confining and hoop stresses in
ring-confined thin-walled concrete-filled
steel tube columns
Lai and Ho
Tao Z, Han LH and Wang DY (2008) Strength and ductility of
stiffened thin-walled hollow steel structural stub columns
filled with concrete. Thin-Walled Structures 46(10):
1113–1128.
Uy B (1998) Local and post-local buckling of concrete filled
steel welded box columns. Journal of Constructional Steel
Research 47(1–2): 47–72.
Uy B (2001) Strength of short concrete filled high strength steel
box columns. Journal of Constructional Steel Research
57(2): 113–134.
Uy B and Das S (1997) Wet concrete loading of thin-walled
steel box columns during the construction of a tall
building. Journal of Constructional Steel Research 42(2):
95–119.
Uy B, Tao Z and Han LH (2011) Behaviour of short and
slender concrete-filled stainless steel tubular
columns. Journal of Constructional Steel Research 67(3):
360–378.
Virdi KS and Dowling PJ (1980) Bond strength in concrete filled
steel tubes. IABSE Periodica 3: 125–139.
Xue LH and Cai SH (1996) Bond strength at the interface of
concrete-filled steel tube columns. Building Science
3: 22–28 (in Chinese).
Young B and Ellobody E (2006) Experimental investigation of
concrete-filled cold-formed high strength stainless steel
tube columns. Journal of Constructional Steel Research
62(5): 484–492.
Yu ZW, Ding FX and Cai CS (2007) Experimental behavior of
circular concrete-filled steel tube stub columns. Journal of
Constructional Steel Research 63(2): 165–174.
Zhong ST (2006) Unified Theory of CFST Structures: Research
and Application, 1st edn. Tsinghua University Press,
Beijing, China (in Chinese).
HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE?
To discuss this paper, please submit up to 500 words to
the editor at journals@ice.org.uk. Your contribution will
be forwarded to the author(s) for a reply and, if con-
sidered appropriate by the editorial board, it will be pub-
lished as a discussion in a future issue of the journal.
935