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Procedia Engineering 00 (2012) 000000

Procedia Engineering 40 (2012) 469 474

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Steel Structures and Bridges 2012

Composite steel concrete filled tubes

V. Kvoka, G. Vargaa* and R. Vargova
Institute of Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering Faculty of Technical University in Koice
Vysokokolsk 4, 042 00 Koice, Slovakia

Abstract
The paper presents the preparation and execution of an experimental programme focusing on the verification of
rectangular composite members subjected to compression. Some preliminary experimental results and research findings are
published in the paper.
2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and review under responsibility of University of ilina, FCE, Slovakia.
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.

Keywords: concrete filled tubes, research

1. Introduction
A combination of steel and concrete in structural members and components of load-bearing structures
appears very efficient due to the advantageous properties of both materials complementing each other. It results
in the design of highly reliable and cost-saving structures. Concrete-filled hollow steel sections are more and
more frequently used as compression members in structures nowadays. The utilization of concrete as a filling
material for hollow sections enhances the load-bearing capacity of such structures, and what is more, in the
case of sections fully encased in concrete, it also dramatically increases their fire resistance [1]. Filling steel
sections with concrete or encasing them in concrete has definitely a positive impact on the compression
strength of a member in simple compression and, with the higher stiffness of a member, on its global stability,
as the concrete filling of a section provides more local stability for the plates.
From the structural point of view, current design standards for composite members are limited to certain
types of section, specific material properties and are far from covering a wide range of design problems
[2][3][4][5]. The actual interaction between both materials and its impact on the local and global stability of
compressed composite members composed of thin-walled steel sections has not been fully explored yet.

* Tel.: +421-55-6024245
E-mail address: gabriel.varga@tuke.sk

1877-7058 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2012.07.127

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Therefore, the Civil Engineering Faculty of the Technical University in Koice is carrying out experimental
research into such structures focusing mainly on the theoretical and experimental analyses of their elastic and
plastic behaviour, deformation mechanisms and ultimate strengths of rectangular composite members subjected
to compression. The research is directly connected to the experimental measurements of local stability of short
composite members previously performed at the Civil Engineering Faculty TUKE [6]. Similar problems have
been tackled at the Civil Engineering Faculty of VUT Brno, however, with the main focus on the employment
of high-strength concretes [7].
The scientific paper presented pertains to the experimental research into the area of concrete-filled steel
tubes subjected to compression. Some preliminary experimental results and research findings are published in
the paper.
2. Design of laboratory specimens
A total of 12 simple laboratory specimens were designed for the experimental research programme. With
the intention to carry out the experiments in the domestic laboratories of the Civil Engineering Faculty, the
cross-sections and dimensions of the laboratory specimens were designed in such a manner that they comply
with the laboratory conditions. The overall length of the experimental columns was 2.7 m, whereas the steel
casing of the columns was 2.6 m long. Readily available concrete grade C30/37 was used for manufacturing the
laboratory specimens.
The steel section of the columns was made of thin-walled welded sections 2 mm thick. Geometrically, four
different types of stee section were compared. A steel section 100x150 mm was used for the first type of
section. Similarly, a welded section of 100x150 mm was applied in the second type; however, it was stiffened
vertically along the longer wall over the whole height of the column. In the third variant of the experimental
column, a section of 100x200 mm was used, and so was for the fourth type of section, but with a stiffener like
in the second type. The identical material for all types was used, namely the steel grade S235.
The shape of the individual sections is shown in Figure 1. In order to verify the obtained results of
experiments, three identical specimens were manufactured and tested for each type of column.

Fig. 1: Cross-sections of experimental columns

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3. Preparations of experiments
Preparations of the experiments and the testing procedures followed the theoretical calculations of ultimate
loads and standard verifications of the columns in question. In the first step of the experiment, attention was
paid to the specification of material properties and geometrical proportions. Both material properties and initial
imperfections in the geometry of columns can considerably influence the resulting resistance and thus the
calibration of theoretical models.
The geometric dimensions of all experimental columns were measured directly using an ultrasonic
thickness gauge and slide gauges. Verification points were selected so as to best correspond with the real shape
and geometry of the column.
As far as composite columns are concerned, it was necessary to determine the material characteristics
separately for the concrete and steel parts of the column.
It was essential to verify the actual compressive strength of the concrete. Compressive strength is a
fundamental structural characteristic of hardened concrete determined in a compression test. In principle, it is a
test in which a specimen is subjected to increasing compressive load until failure occurs and the maximum
concrete strength gained in compression is calculated. The compressive strength in the experiments was
detected using cubes of standard size cast in a cubical mould and subjected to a crushing test. The precision of
the dimensions of the cubes necessary for the calculations of the compressed area of the test specimen and/or
its specific gravity was 1 mm. The weight of the specimen was specified with the 0.25 % precision. A
hydraulic press of the necessary extent, scales and slide gauges were used in the test. In the compression test
the values of specific gravity of concrete were calculated based on the determined dimensions and weights. The
angles between the individual column walls were checked as well as the flatness of the compressed regions. A
clean specimen was placed between the compressive plates of the press, in the middle, so that the compression
was perpendicular to the direction of compaction. The specimen was loaded gradually and uniformly with no
impacts, so the load increased steadily. It was applied until the specimen crashed and the maximum force F was
recorded. The compression tests were carried out at t = 7, 14 and 28 days. The individual measured values are
given in Table 1.
Table 1: Compression test results

Compression strength
fck,7

31.64

MPa

fck,14

35.80

MPa

fck,28

39.98

MPa

In order to determine the actual material properties of the steel used in the experimental columns, tensile
tests were performed. All steel specimens used in the tensile tests were designed according to the standard
requirements of STN EN 10002-1, effective since July 1997.
In this test a specimen of standard shape and size is subjected to increasing longitudinal pulling stress in a
testing machine until fracture occurs. The specimens in question were clamped in the jaws of the testing
(breaking) machine so that the pulling force acted axially. The shape and dimensions of test bars were selected

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with regard to the dimensions of metal products normally used for the specifications of mechanical properties.
The test bars were designed and manufactured in such a manner that the measured length of the bar L0 satisfied
the condition of L0 = 10d0 or L0 = 5d0.
By the evaluation of the measured values detected in the tensile tests, the yield strength, tensile strength and
steel ductility were determined. The tensile test results are shown in a protocol in Table 2. All gained
characteristics were well below the declared values for the steel of grade S235.
Table 2: Tensile test results

The determination of the material properties was followed by concreting the individual rectangular steel
tubes. The concrete was compacted by vibration using an internal vibrator. After the hardening of the concrete
the steel strips 5mm wide at both ends of the column were cut off so that the loading force was transmitted only
through the concrete column core. Therefore, the load was distributed without producing any local buckling
effects on the steel casing at both ends of the column.
The test specimens were hinged at both sides and the load activated using a hydraulic press. The testing
assembly is depicted in Figure 2.

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Fig. 2: Test assembly

Local buckling of the plate, the overall buckling of the column and strains at the points most subject to
stress were observed during the process of loading. The overall buckling of the column was measured by means
of strain gauges fastened to the UPM station. To eliminate external effects, all sensors were situated on an
independent steel construction. The overall bending of the column by axial stress (buckling) was detected in the
centre of the column length (height) and at both ends of the column, and it was observed in both directions.
Deflections were measured by means of strain-gauge resistance strips and from these the strains calculated.
The strain gauges were attached to the most stressed points in the centre of the column length (height).
The load intensity was opted to capture all examined parameters as authentically as possible and the load
incrementally increased by 15.4 kN. The examined specimen was unloaded once, from 154 kN to 77 kN. The
test was completed when the specimen was not capable of sustaining greater load. At this stage excessive
deflections occurred in the examined specimens with no further increase in load. Emphasis was placed on both
global stability of the column and the local stability of the thin column plates.
In the following step of experimental verification, all types of column will be tested and the measured
values of local and global stability of members will be evaluated. The data obtained in the destructive tests will
be analysed and compared with the theoretical models currently in preparation at the Faculty.
4. Conclusion
All currently elaborated and presented results from the performed experimental and theoretical analyses
offer true information about the real behaviour of composite columns with regard to the examined effects of
their support, load, geometry, and particularly the interaction of local and global stability.

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The paper presented focuses on the description of the research programme currently carried out at the
Institute of Structural Engineering of the Civil Engineering Faculty of the Technical University in Koice. The
programme concerns the theoretical and experimental verification of composite columns and the determination
of their local and global stability. Upon the completion of all experiments, the members will be modelled using
the numerical computational tools such as Ansys and Abaqus software packages whose results will be
compared with the experimentally attained values. Based on such extensive findings conclusions and
recommendations for the general public and professionals will be made.
Acknowledgements
This paper was funded by project No. 1/0788/12: Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Stability and
Strength of Composite Members in Compression and Bending of the grant agency VEGA of the Ministry of
Education of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Science and by the project ITMS 26220120037
"The Support to the Centre of Excellent Integrated Research into Progressive Building Structures, Materials
and Technologies".
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