EUROSTEEL 2014, September 10-12, 2014, Naples, Italy

TUBULAR STAINLESS AND MILD STEEL DOUBLE-SKIN COLUMNS

Stainless, concrete and structural steel stub column tests

Glauco Silvaa, Evandro Goulartb, Luciano Limab, Pedro Vellascob

a
Civil Engineering Graduate Program, State University of Rio de Janeiro UERJ
glaucobz@uol.com.br
b
Structural Engineering Department, State University of Rio de Janeiro UERJ
goulartbr@gmail.com, lucianolima@uerj.br, vellasco@uerj.br

INTRODUCTION
Steel and concrete composite structures have been used as structural systems for various types of
construction. Recently the use of stainless steel in concrete filled tubular sections increased their
advantages and added advantages like high corrosion resistance, ease of construction and
maintenance and aesthetic appeal. In addition to this fact a novel type of composite construction:
double skin carbon and stainless steel tubular profiles filled with concrete has been developed. The
most common sections associated to this structural solutions use circular, square and rectangular
cross sections, as stated by Han et al[1]. These structural solutions focused primarily on their
structural behaviour and not only in architectural aspects and corrosion resistance.
This article presents the investigations about the structural behaviour of this new type of composite
column consisting of two concentric tubes of stainless steel and carbon steel concrete-filled between
its walls. The investigation aimed to demonstrate the structural efficiency of these solutions that
could be applied to new structures or even to cases where a reinforcement or retrofit is required to
enhance their corrosion resistances or structural capacities. An experimental programme was
conducted in order to compare these innovative structural systems to the usual concrete encased
tubular steel stub columns. Figure 1 presents an application of the above mentioned structural
solution to a Reykjavik footbridge, Archadaily, [2].

Fig.1. Stainless steel tubular column filled with concrete Hringbraut Footbridge Reykjavik,[2].

1. STRUCTURAL RESPONSE
It is well known that structural members made of steel and concrete are subjected to a multi axial
stress state. Current design standards usually assume the material modelling based on a bilinear
relationship covering the elastic and plastic ranges. The response of circular double skin composite
stainless steel-concrete-carbon steel tubular columns indicates that their ultimate load carrying
capacity is greater than the sum of their individual components resistances i.e. tubes and concrete.
This is directly associated to the effect of confinement provide by the tubes to the concrete core.
In the initial loading stages the external tube does not interfere in the concrete core but the inner
tube keeps expanding and consequently applies pressure to the concrete around it (Figure 2a).
However, this effect is virtually negligible, since the concrete in the elasto-plastic state quickly
dissipates this effect and the pressure imposed by the inner tube gradually decreases. As the
longitudinal deformations increase the concrete lateral expansion becomes greater than the
expansion of the tube walls. At this stage, the confinement is localized at the concrete-outer tube
interface. On the other hand, the presence of concrete confined between the tubes reduces their
tendency to buckle. Thus, if the concrete is sufficiently stiff the external tube can only buckle
outwards while the inner tube tries to buckle inwards (Figure 2b). However, if the concrete section
thickness is not enough, the inner tube also buckles outwards at the same section where the external
tube local buckling occurs, as noted by Tao et al[5].

Fig. 2. Stress conditions:s>c (a), s<c (b).Kuranovas et al [3].

In the axial compression first stage the external stainless steel tube stands a substantial part of the
load until it yields. At this point, a load transfer starts from the external tube to the concrete core,
and a large parcel of the imposed load is absorbed by the concrete core until it reaches its ultimate
compressive capacity where micro cracks can be observed. This is followed by a load redistribution
from the concrete core to the stainless steel tube that begins to display a behaviour associated to the
stress/strain hardening phase. It can be also be observed that the composite columns load transfer
mechanism can be maximized when using circular tubes that present larger confinement effects
when compared to rectangular or square tubes.

2. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM
The experimental program aimed to observe the behaviour of a short column using a double skin
stainless and carbon steel circular hollow sections (respectively, external and internal tubes) filled
or not with concrete, subjected to axial compression using the geometry of previous test performed
by Han et al[1]. In those columns two main parameters can be identified the confining factor ()
and the tubular section index () defined in Eq. 1 and Eq. 2.

Aso f yo
= (1)
Ace f ck

whereAso is the external stainless steel cross section area, Ace is the concrete nominal cross section
rea, fyo is the external stainless steel tube yield stress, obtained using the idealized Ramberg-
Osgood model and fck is the concrete characteristic compressive strength. It is interesting to observe
that the parameter is indirectly associated to the inner tube since the concrete area Ace changes
when the inner tube diameter is modified.

d
= (2)
D 2t so
For circular cross sections where: dis equivalent to d1 or d2i.e. the outside diameter of inner carbon
steel tube (indexes 1 and 2 represent the two adopted values), D is the outside diameter of outer
stainless steel tube, and t is equivalent to t1 or t2 i.e. the wall thickness of inner carbon steel tube
(indexes 1 and 2 represent the two adopted values) and tso is the wall thickness of outer stainless
steel tube, see figure 3. These parameters are associated to the diameter-thickness ratio (D/t) and are
depicted in table 2.
The tests use seamed stainless steel and carbon steel tubes welded to thick steel plates to simulated
fixed supports. The carbon steel tubes have been acquired are the usual carbon steel hot-rolled
tubes. The stainless steel tubes were austenitic, by grade 304L or 1.4301.The adopted concrete was
a self-consolidating high-strength industrial concrete. Its choice was made to avoid the presence of
holes and discontinuities in the concrete after casting. The nominal strength was C60, obtained by
compression tests of cylindrical specimens. The idealized column could be classified as a short
column because the ratio between the external diameter to the height of the column was equal to
1/3. Table 1 shows the adopted material mechanical properties.

Table 1. Measured Material Properties.

Type Dimensions (mm x mm) fy (MPa) fu (MPa) E (MPa)
Carbon steel 1 CHS 114.30 x 4.50 357 519 206695
Carbon steel 2 CHS 165.10 x 4.25 280 533 209027
Stainless steel CHS 219.08 x 3.76 259 571 168 849

The specimens were divided into unfilled and concrete-filled columns, respectively. The cross
sections were selected aiming to approximately obtain the parameter (Eq 2) in the 0.50 up to
0.75range. This was achieved by varying the carbon steel inner tube diameter. For each specimen,
eight strain gages were installed on each tube, in pairs, in the longitudinal and transverse directions,
respectively. Two displacement transducers were positioned at each end of the column
perpendicular to the base plate. The base plates were machined specifically for the program. Rings
of the same base metal were welded according to the selected diameters of the tubes to ensure the
fixed ends of the column allowing its reuse in subsequent tests. Figure 3 and Figure 4 presents the
experimental program arrangement and layout details.

d1
t1
t2 d2

D tso

Fig.3.Base plate layout.

Fig.4.Tests configuration and layout (in mm).

The specimen was assembled in the test universal testing machine with loading capacity up to 3.000
kN. After adjustments and calibrations between data aquisition system and loading cell of the
universal testing machine, it was defined the protocol in pre-loadings up to 300 kN and 600 kN with
load interval of the 500N/s. The purpose was to minimize the effects of initial strains and to ensure
accurace measurem ments due thhe influencee of the hig
gh load transfering in thhe behaviorr of non linnear
materiall like stainleess steel.

3. EXPE
ERIMENT
TAL OBSE
ERVATION
NS AND TE
ESTS RESU
ULTS
Figure 5 shows thee buckling modes of each e men and theiir cross secctions after the end of the
specim
tests. Foor the unfillled double skin colum mns, both th
he outer andd the inner tube preseented the saame
bucklingg failure modes,
m i.e., both local buckling was
w found around
a in thhe same section for both
tubes. For
F concretee-filled douuble skin coolumns, thee concertinaa or elephhant foot buckling
b moode
was observed in the t stainlesss steel outter tube whhilethe diaamond shaape bucklin ng mode was
w
observeed in the carrbon steel innner tube. The
T concretee core was significantlyy crushed ata the locatioons
where thhe local bucckling occurrred.

Fig.5. Buckliing failure moodes of the com

mposite doublle skin filled and
a unfilled coolumns, respeectively.

When thhe outer tubbe reached the critical buckling lo oad, a wrinkkle was devveloped and d the tube wall
w
around this area mooved outwaard. This waas followed by multiplee other platee foldings. After A reaching
the plasstic stage, thhe load droppped and beegun to increease again after
a a new local bucklling concerttina
mode was
w formed.. The first and secondd buckling mode locattions were situated near the column
supports and weree followed by b other locations alongside the column lenngth. Thebu uckling moddes
formed on the inneer tube wass associatedd to several regular folding on thee in the tubee surface. The T
diamondd buckling modes werre formed on o these tub bes while thheir respective walls moved
m towaards
the crosss section ceentroid.
Load versus
v end shortening curvesare presented in Figure 6 where thhe blue an nd green linnes
represennt the DST 2 test resultts measuredd at location ns diametriccally opposeed. It can bee observed that
t
the coluumn strengtth and stiffnness decreassed as the hollow
h ratioo increased. Figure 7 deepicts the looad
versus strain
s dening rangge, a substaantial increaase in strength
curvees indicatingg thatin thee strain hard
was obsserved, due the concrette core conffinement.

Fig.6. Loaad versus end shortening cuurves.

 Fig.7.. Load versus strain curves..

The testts results arre depicted in Table 2 where

w they are also compared to tthe method introduced by
Han et al[1], Tao et al [5],annd to the Continuous Strength
S M
Method, Lamm & Gardneer [4]. In both
methodss, it was asssumed that the double skin tubulaar column caapacity wass associated d to sum of the
capacitiies of the cooncrete filled stainless tube
t and cirrcular hollow
w carbon stteel section..
Table 2. Double skkin tubular (DS
ST) specimen tests results and
a theoreticall design modeels.
Outter
Outeer tube Inner Inner tubbe
tube(m Ntest NCSM
Specim
men diam
meter/ tube(mm diameterr/ NH (kN)
mx (kN) Han (kN
N)
thicknness ratio x mm) thickness ratio
r
mmm)
219.1 x 114.3 x
Hollow DST
D 1 5
58.3 25.4 0.54 1 184.0 - 7588.0
3.88 4.5
219.1 x 114.3 x
DST 1 5
58.3 25.4 0.54 2 845.0 2 613.0 2 6669.4
3.88 4.5
219.1 x 165.3 x
Hollow DST
D 2 5
58.3 38.9 0.78 1 371.8 - 7155.9
3.88 4.3
219.1 x 165.3 x
DST 2 5
58.3 38.9 0.78 1 933.1 1 694.1 1 8556.3
3.88 4.3

4. FINA
AL CONSIDERATIO
ONS
The exxperimental programm me indicted that the double
d skinn tubular ccolumn enh hances simiilar
structurral perform
mance like a solid cooncrete filleed tubular column w with a lean n construction
solutionn.The obserrved post-coollapse respponse enables safe upoon that the sandwiched d concrete and
a
delays the
t inner tubbebuckling.The use off the outer stainless
s steeel tubes maakes the sug
ggested design
methodss more suittable to preedict the reesistance caapacity of thhis compossite membeer.The adoppted
self-connsolidating concrete
c presented advvantages du
uring the connstruction sstage while the outer tuube
could bee also usefuully interpreetedas a perm
manent form
mwork.

5. ACK
KNOWLED
DGMENTS
S
The autthors grateffully acknow
wledge the Brazilian National annd State Sccience Supp port Agenciies:
CAPES, CNPq and FAPERJ foor the financcial support granted
g to thhis research program.

REFER
RENCES
[1] Hann, L.-H., Renn, Q.-X., Li, W.,
W Tests on stubs stainlesss steel-concreete-carbon steeel double-skiin tubular (DS ST)
coluumns, Journaal of Construcctional Steel Research,
R v. 67,
6 3, p. 437--452, 2011.
[2] Arcchadaily, Hringbraut Footbridgge, Studioo Grandaa, Accessed 23 Aug 20012.
httpp://www.archhdaily.com/188789.
[3] Kurranovas, A., Kvedaras, A.K.,A Behaviiour of hollo ow concrete--filled steel ttubular comp posite elemeents,
Jouurnal of Civil Engineering and Managem ment, v. 13, 2,
2 p. 131-141, 2007.
[4] Lam m, D, Gardneer, L., Structuural design off stainless steel concrete-fi
filled columnss, J. Constr. Steel
S Res., v. 64,
11, p. 1275-12822, 2008.
[5] Tao, Z., Han, L.-H., Zhao, X.-L., Behaviour of concrete-filled double skin (CHS inner and CHS outer) steel
tubular stub columns and beam-columns, J. Const. Steel Res, v 60, 8, p 1129-1158, 2011.