Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

www.elsevier.com/locate/jcsr

Behaviour of concrete-lled double skin

(CHS inner and CHS outer) steel tubular
stub columns and beam-columns
Zhong Tao a,
, Lin-Hai Han a, Xiao-Ling Zhao b
a

College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Fuzhou University, Gongye Road 523, Fuzhou,
Fujian Province, 350002, China
b
Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia

Received 27 August 2003; received in revised form 13 November 2003; accepted 18 November 2003

Abstract
A series of tests on concrete lled double skin steel tubular (CFDST) stub columns (14)
and beam-columns (12) were carried out. Both outer and inner tubes were circular hollow
sections (CHS). The main experimental parameters for stub columns were the diameter-tothickness ratio and hollow section ratio, while those for beam-columns were slenderness
ratio and load eccentricity. A theoretical model is developed in this paper for CFDST stub
columns and beam-columns. A unied theory is described where a connement factor (n) is
introduced to describe the composite action between the outer steel tube and the sandwiched
concrete. The predicted load versus deformation relationships are in good agreement with
stub column and beam-column test results. Simplied models are derived to predict the loadcarrying capacities of the composite members.
# 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Concrete-lled tube; Double-skin; Stub columns; Beam-columns; Composite sections; Steel
hollow sections; Theoretical model

1. Introduction
Concrete lled double skin steel tubular (CFDST) members can be recognized as
a new kind of CFT construction. They consist of two concentric steel tubes with
concrete sandwiched between them, the steel tubes can be circular hollow sections

Corresponding author. Tel.: +86-591-3716182; fax: +86-591-3793297.

E-mail address: taozhong@fzu.edu.cn (Z. Tao).

0143-974X/$ - see front matter # 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jcsr.2003.11.008

1130

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Nomenclature
Ac
cross-sectional area of concrete
Ac,nominal nominal cross section area of concrete, given by pDo  2 tso 2 =4
Asc
cross-sectional area of the composite section Aso Ac Asi
Asco
cross-sectional area of the outer steel tube and the sandwiched concrete Aso Ac
Asi
cross-sectional area of the inner steel tube
Aso
cross-sectional area of the outer steel tube
CFDST concrete lled double skin steel tube
CFT
concrete lled steel tube
Di
outside diameter of the inner tube
Do
outside diameter of the outer tube
e
load eccentricity
Ec
concrete modulus of elasticity
Es
steel modulus of elasticity
fck
characteristic concrete strength (=0.67 fcu)
fcu
characteristic cube strength of concrete
fsyi
yield strength of the inner steel tube
fsyo
yield strength of the outer steel tube
p
i
radius of gyration of CFDST (= Isc =Asc )
moment of inertia for CFDST cross-section
Isc
L
eective buckling length of column in the plane of bending
Mi,u
moment capacity of the inner tube
Mu
ultimate strength of CFDST beams
Ni,u
compressive capacity of the inner tube
Nosc,u compressive capacity of the outer steel tube and the sandwiched concrete
Nu
ultimate strength of the composite column
Nue
experimental ultimate strength
Nu,t
predicted ultimate strength from theoretical model
Nu,s
predicted ultimate strength from simplied model
tso
wall thickness of the outer steel tube
tsi
wall thickness of the inner steel tube
um
deection at mid-height of column
Wscm section modulus of the outer steel tube and the sandwiched concrete,
given by pD4o  D4i =32Do
Wsi
plastic section modulus of the inner tube
anominal nominal steel ratio (=Aso/Ac,nominal)
a
steel ratio (=Aso/Ac)
v
hollow section ratio, given by Di =Do  2 tso
r
stress
e
strain

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

k
n

1131

slenderness ratios (=L/i)



Aso fsyo
connement factor Ac;nominal
fck

(CHS) or square hollow sections (SHS) [1]. The CFDST columns have almost all
the same advantages as traditional CFT members. Moreover, they have lighter
weight, higher bending stiness, and have better cyclic performance [2]. It is also
expected that CFDST columns will have higher re resistance capacities than their
CFT counterparts, due to the inner tubes of the former being protected eectively
by the sandwiched concrete under re condition.
CFDSTs were rstly introduced as a new form of construction for vessels to
resist external pressure [3]. More recently, they were mainly studied by several
researchers as columns or beams, such as Elchalakani et al. [2], Lin and Tsai [4],
Wei et al. [5,6], Yagishita et al. [7], Zhao and Grzebieta [8], Zhao et al. [1,9]. These
studies highlighted the increasing demand and strong potential of using CFDST in
oshore construction, highways and high-rise bridge piers. Due to their great
advantages, it is also expected CFDST columns have a potential to be used in
building structures.
In the past, many studies have been performed on stub columns to illuminate the
composite action between the steel tubes and the sandwiched concrete (Elchalakani
et al. [2], Wei et al. [5,6], Zhao and Grzebieta [8], Zhao et al. [1,9]). The section
slenderness ratios of the inner and the outer tubes have been chosen as the main
experimental parameters in the literature. However, no research has been conducted to study the eect of hollow section ratio on the mechanical behaviour of
CFDST stub columns, except comparisons with CFT stub columns. Moreover,
some researchers have found that the component stub column has a higher section
capacity than the combined capacity of the components acting alone [4,5], while
other researchers concluded that the ultimate strength of CFDST stub columns can
be predicted by the sum of the section capacities of the concrete, the outer steel
tube and the inner steel tube [2,8]. It seems more experiments should be carried out
to verify these conclusions.
Compared with stub columns, little research has been conducted on CFDST
beam-columns [4,7]. Three stub columns, three beams and nine beam-column tests
on CFDST were reported by Lin and Tsai [4]. The main experimental parameters
are the thickness of the outer tube and the magnitude of the axial load. The test
results show that the CFDST beam-columns can eectively provide strength and
deformation capacity, even with a large diameter-to-thickness ratio (100150 for
the outer tubes, and 90 for the inner tubes). Cyclic tests were performed on four
CFDST beam-columns and two CFT specimens by Yagishita et al. [7]. The specimens tested had two dierent lengths and two dierent outer tube thicknesses. The
CFDST beam-columns show satisfactory ultimate strengths and restoring force
characteristics. However, no theoretical model or formula was found in the literature to predict the load-carrying capacities of CFDST beam-columns.

1132

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Fig. 1. Column specimen details and dimensions.

This paper studies the behaviour of CFDST stub columns and beam-columns
where both inner and outer tubes are circular hollow sections (CHS), as shown in
Fig. 1. A series of tests were carried out on 14 stub columns and 12 beam-columns.
The main parameters varied in the stub column tests are: (1) hollow section ratio
(v) from 0 to 0.80; (2) outer tube width to thickness ratio from 38 to 100. The main
parameters varied in the beam-column tests are: (1) load eccentricity (e), from
0 mm to 45 mm; and, (2) column slenderness (k), from 28 to 56. Theoretical models
that can predict the behaviour of CFDST stub columns and beam-columns are
presented. A unied theory [10] is described where a connement factor (n) is
introduced to describe the composite action between the outer steel tube and the
sandwiched concrete. The predicted load versus deformation relationship is in good
agreement with stub column and beam-column test results. Simplied models are
also derived to predict the load-carrying capacities of the composite members.

2. Experimental investigation
2.1. Material properties
Cold-formed circular steel tubes were used in the construction of the specimens.
The average values of measured material properties for the composite specimens
used in this project are summarized in Tables 1 and 2.
Standard tensile coupon tests were conducted to measure material properties of
the steel tubes. Three coupons were taken from each kind of steel tube. The 0.2%
proof stress listed in Table 1 was adopted as the yield stress. The tested modulus of
elasticity of the outer and the inner tubes were found to be approximately 200,000
N/mm2.

cc1a
cc1b
cc2a
cc2b
cc3a
cc3b
cc4a
cc4b
cc5a
cc5b
cc6a
cc6b
cc7a
cc7b

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

Average
COV

Specimen
label

No.

1803
1803
1803
1803
1803
1803
1803
1803
1143
1143
2403
2403
3003
3003

Dotso
(mm)

NA
NA
483.0
483.0
883.0
883.0
1403.0
1403.0
583.0
583.0
1143.0
1143.0
1653.0
1653.0

Ditsi (mm)
0
0
0.28
0.28
0.51
0.51
0.80
0.80
0.54
0.54
0.49
0.49
0.56
0.56

v
540
540
540
540
540
540
540
540
342
342
720
720
900
900

L (mm)
275.9
275.9
275.9
275.9
275.9
275.9
275.9
275.9
294.5
294.5
275.9
275.9
275.9
275.9

NA
NA
396.1
396.1
370.2
370.2
342.0
342.0
374.5
374.5
294.5
294.5
320.5
320.5

1680
1618
1790
1791
1648
1650
1435
1358
904
898
2421
2460
3331
3266

fsyo (N/mm2) fsyi (N/mm2) Nue (kN)

Table 1
Specimen labels, material properties and section capacities for stub columns

1526
1526
1613
1613
1550
1550
1278
1278
823
823
2340
2340
3220
3220

0.933
0.031

0.908
0.943
0.901
0.901
0.941
0.939
0.891
0.941
0.91
0.916
0.967
0.951
0.967
0.986

Nu,t (kN) Nu,t/Nue

1547
1547
1633
1633
1566
1566
1285
1285
830
830
2376
2376
3283
3283

0.944
0.034

0.921
0.956
0.912
0.912
0.950
0.949
0.895
0.946
0.918
0.924
0.981
0.966
0.986
1.005

Nu,s (kN) Nu,s/Nue

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1133

pcc1-1a
pcc1-1b
pcc1-2a
pcc1-2b
pcc1-3a
pcc1-3b
pcc2-1a
pcc2-1b
pcc2-2a
pcc2-2b
pcc2-3a
pcc2-3b

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Average
COV

Specimen
label

No.

1143
1143
1143
1143
1143
1143
1143
1143
1143
1143
1143
1143

Dotso
(mm)

583
583
583
583
583
583
583
583
583
583
583
583

Ditsi
(mm)
0.54
0.54
0.54
0.54
0.54
0.54
0.54
0.54
0.54
0.54
0.54
0.54

v
887
887
887
887
887
887
1770
1770
1770
1770
1770
1770

L (mm)
28
28
28
28
28
28
56
56
56
56
56
56

k
294.5
294.5
294.5
294.5
294.5
294.5
294.5
294.5
294.5
294.5
294.5
294.5

fsyo
(N/mm2)

Table 2
Specimen labels, material properties and ultimate capacities for beam-columns

374.5
374.5
374.5
374.5
374.5
374.5
374.5
374.5
374.5
374.5
374.5
374.5

fsyi
(N/mm2)
4
4
14
14
45
45
0
0
15.5
15.5
45
45

664
638
536
549
312
312
620
595
400
394
228
227

e (mm) Nue
(kN)
687
687
550
550
315
315
613
613
422
422
252
252

Nu,t
(kN)

1.043
0.038

1.035
1.077
1.026
1.002
1.010
1.010
0.989
1.030
1.055
1.071
1.105
1.110

Nu,t/Nue

619
619
490
490
298
298
534
534
390
390
246
246

Nu,s
(kN)

0.959
0.069

0.932
0.970
0.914
0.893
0.955
0.955
0.861
0.897
0.975
0.990
1.079
1.084

Nu,s/Nue

1134
Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1135

The concrete mix was designed for a compressive cube strength fcu at 28 days of
approximately 40 N/mm2. The mix proportions of the concrete were as follows:
Cement: 528 kg/m3;
Water: 201 kg/m3;
Sand: 585 kg/m3;
Coarse aggregate: 1086 kg/m3.
All stub column and beam-column specimens were cast from one batch of concrete, respectively. Three 150 mm cubes were also cast for each batch of the concrete and cured in conditions similar to the related specimens. The average cube
strength for the stub column specimens and the beam-column specimens at the
time of tests were 47.4 and 46.3 N/mm2, respectively. The modulus of elasticity
(Ec) of concrete was found to be 33,300 N/mm2.
2.2. Specimen preparations
A total of 14 CFDST stub columns and 12 beam-columns were tested. The
dimensions of those specimens are presented in Tables 1 and 2, respectively.
For stub column specimens, they were so designed that a wide range of hollow
section ratio (v) (from 0 to 0.80) and outer tube diameter-to-thickness ratio (Do/tso)
(from 38 to 100) can be achieved. The hollow section ratio of the composite section
is dened herein as:
v

Di
Do  2tso

where Di and Do are the outside diameters of the inner tube and the outer tube,
respectively; tso is the wall thickness of the outer steel tube. It is apparent that we
will get a CFT column when v is equal to 0. The length of the stub columns (L)
were chosen to be three times the diameter of the outer CHS sections to avoid the
eects of overall buckling and end conditions [11].
For beam-column specimens, the load eccentricity (e) ranges are from 0 to 45 mm.
The slenderness ratio (k) ranges are from 28 to 56. The value of slenderness ratio
(k) is dened as:
k

L
i

where L is the eective length of a column, whichp

is
the same as the physical length
of the column (L) with pin-ended supports. i Isc =Asc , is the section radius of
gyration, Isc and Asc are the second moment of area and area of CFDST composite
cross-section, respectively.
The concrete was lled in layers and was vibrated by poker vibrator. The specimens were placed upright to air-dry until testing. During curing, a very small
amount of longitudinal shrinkage occurred at the top of the columns. A highstrength epoxy was used to ll this longitudinal gap so that the concrete surface
was ush with the steel tube at the top.

1136

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Prior to testing, the top surfaces of the CFDST specimens were ground smooth
and at using a grinding wheel with diamond cutters. A ruler was used to check
for the atness. This was to ensure that the load was applied evenly across the
cross-section and simultaneously to the steel and concrete.
2.3. Test procedures
All the tests were performed on a 5000 kN capacity universal testing machine,
and the test data collected by an IMP data acquisition system.
2.3.1. Stub column specimens
The stub column specimens were placed into the testing machine and the loads
were applied on the specimens directly. The loading ram was a solid steel plate.
Eight strain gauges, including four in the axial direction and another four in the
transverse direction, mounted on the surface of the specimen, were used for the
specimen to measure strains at the mid-height. Two displacement transducers were
used to measure the axial shortening at the same time. 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 min.
2.3.2. Beam-column specimens
The beam-columns were tested as pin-ended supported. The desired eccentricity
was achieved by accurately machining grooves 6 mm deep into the sti end plate
that was welded to the steel tubes. For the pure axial compression column, the
groove was in the middle of the plate. The endplate was very sti with a thickness
of 30 mm. The axial load was applied through a very sti top platten with an oset
triangle hinge, which also allowed specimen rotation to simulate pin-ended supports. Both the endplate and the top platten were made of very hard and very high
strength steel.
Eight strain gauges were used for each specimen to measure the longitudinal and
transverse strains at the mid height. Displacement transducers were used along the
specimen span to monitor the deections. Two other transducers, at the end of the
specimen, were used to monitor the axial shortening.
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 min. At each load increment
the strain readings and the deection measurements were recorded. All specimens
were loaded to failure. Each test took approximately 30 min to reach the maximum
load and 1.5 h to complete. All the test specimens behaved in a relatively ductile
manner and testing proceeded in a smooth and controlled fashion.
2.4. Test results
2.4.1. Stub column specimens
Typical failure mode of the outer tube was local (outward folding) failure mechanism as shown in Fig. 2a. This is the same as that observed by many other
researchers both in CFT specimens and CFDST specimens, such as Han [10], Zhao
and Grzebieta [8] and Uy [12]. Fig. 2b is a view of the CFDST after removal of

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1137

Fig. 2. Typical failure mode of CFDST stub columns; (a) typical specimen after testing; (b) after
removal of partial outer steel tube; (c) failure mode of the inner CHA in CFDST.

partial outer steel tube. Dierent from the outer tube, the inner tube failure mode
depends on its diameter-to-thickness ratio (Di/tsi). For a specimen with larger Di/tsi,
such as cc4a, its failure mode is indent buckling as shown in Fig. 2c, while for a
specimen with smaller Di/tsi, such as cc2a, no buckling was observed after testing.
The curves of experimental load versus average axial strain are shown in Fig. 3.
The maximum loads (Nue) obtained in the test are summarized in Table 1.
Fig. 3b compares the load versus axial strain curves obtained for the CFDST
specimens with dierent Do/tso ratio. It can be seen that the CFDST specimens
with larger Do/tso are less ductile, since the post peak curve is steeper compared to
those for the section with smaller Do/tso. It seems that a greater gain in ductility is
obtained for sections with smaller Do/tso. This trend is the same as that observed
by many other researchers [10]. Also shown in Fig. 3 is the approximate location
of observed local buckling of the outer steel tube. For all specimens except cc7a

1138

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Fig. 3. Load versus axial strain curves for stub columns.

and cc7b, local buckling did not occur before their ultimate strength was
developed. The larger Do/tso is, the earlier local buckling occurs.
Fig. 4 shows the eect of hollow section ratio on load versus axial strain curves.
Due to the dierences of cross-sectional areas of steel and concrete, ultimate
strengths for specimens in dierent series are quite dierent. So the load responses
in Fig. 4 are normalized with respect to the corresponding peak axial loads. It

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1139

Fig. 4. Eect of hollow section ratio on load versus axial strain curves.

should be noted that specimens cc1a and cc1b, are conventional single-jacket
concrete-lled steel tubes with hollowness ratio of 0. From Fig. 4, it is observed
that all those specimens have almost the same post-peak response, except
specimens cc4a and cc4b with a larger hollow section ratio of 0.80, which drop a
little more rapidly.
In order to quantify section ductility, the ductility index (DI) dened by Lin and
Tsai [4] is adopted in this paper. It is expressed as
DI

e95%
ey

where e95% is the axial strain when the load falls to 95% of the ultimate load, and
ey is equal to e75% =0:75, e75% is the axial strain when the load attains 75% of the
ultimate load in the pre-peak stage.
The ductility indexes (DI) so determined are plotted in Fig. 5 against the hollow
section ratio for the stub column specimens with a Do/tso ratio of 60. It can be
seen from Fig. 5 that the hollowness ratio does not signicantly inuence the ductility of the CFDST specimens. CFDST specimens can have ductility as good as
CFT specimens.
2.4.2. Beam-column specimens
Typical failure mode of beam-columns was overall buckling failure. Fig. 6 gives
a general view of the specimens after test. When the load was small, the lateral
deection of the specimen at middle height was small and approximately proportional to the applied load. When the load reached about 6070% of the

1140

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Fig. 5. Eect of hollowness ratio on ductility.

maximum load, the lateral deection at middle height started to increase signicantly. During the test, the deection curve was approximately in the shape of a
half sine wave. Specimen pcc1-2a and pcc2-2a are selected to illustrate the lateral
deection development of the composite beam-column with dierent axial loads
(N) before and after peak load, shown in Fig. 7, where the ratio of n is given by N/
Nue. The sinusoids with the same values in the middle height are also shown in
Fig. 7 using dashed lines.
The load (N) versus deection (um) curves for the composite columns are presented in Fig. 8 in solid lines, where um is the deection at mid-height of the column. The maximum loads (Nue) obtained in the test are summarized in Table 2. As
expected, the value of Nue and exural stiness decrease with the increasing of slenderness ratio or load eccentricity. The specimens with larger load eccentricity show
more ductility. Dierent from stub column specimens, no local buckling was found
in the compression zone of steel during the tests.
The axial load (N) versus extreme bre strain is shown in Fig. 9.
From the tests of stub columns and beam-columns, it was found that because of
the inll of concrete, all the specimens behaved in a relatively ductile manner and
testing proceeded in a smooth and controlled fashion. The enhanced structural
behaviour of the composite specimens can be explained in terms of composite
action between the steel tubes and the sandwiched concrete. This composite action
will be discussed in the next section.

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1141

Fig. 6. A general view of beam-column specimens after test.

3. Theoretical models
3.1. Theoretical model for stub columns
To develop a theoretical model for the composite column, the interaction
between the steel tubes and the sandwiched concrete should be examined rst.
Under axial loading, the structural behaviour of CFDSTs is considerably aected
by the dierence between the Poissons ratios of the steel tubes and concrete. It is
well known that Poissons ratio for concrete is initially around 0.2 while that of
steel is around 0.3, so the lateral expansion of the concrete is smaller than that of
the steel tube. Thus, the outer steel tube has no conning eect on the concrete,
and the inner steel tube would press against the concrete outwardly. But this eect
is negligible because the concrete comes into the elasto-plastic state soon, thus the
pressure stops increasing and then decreases gradually. As longitudinal strain
increases, the lateral expansion of the concrete gradually becomes greater than the
expansion of the steel tubes due to the longitudinal cracking of the concrete. At
this stage, compression will develop at the interface of the outer tube and the

1142

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Fig. 7. Lateral deection along the column at dierent load levels. (a) specimen pcc12a; (b) specimen
pcc22a.

concrete, similar to that in CFT columns, and the contact pressure between the
concrete and the inner tube changes from compression to tension. Since the bond
between concrete and steel is small, it is quite reasonable to assume that the tension between the two at this stage is negligible, and a comparatively small gap will
appear between the inner tube and the concrete eventually. It should be noted,
unlike circular CFT columns, the stress and strain state in the concrete in the sandwich tube is obviously not uniform across the radial direction. But this uneven distribution is concentrated mainly near the inner part of the concrete section for lack
of adequate support, and may be ignored if the hollow section ratio is not too
large. This is veried by the test results.

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Fig. 8. Axial load (N) versus mid-span lateral deection (um) curves.

1143

1144

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Fig. 9. Axial load versus extreme ber strains at mid-height of test specimens.

On the other hand, the propensity of the steel tubes to buckle is reduced by the
presence of the sandwiched concrete. Thus the outer tube can only buckle outward,
whereas the inner tube is indent buckling if the concrete is rigid enough. However,
if the thickness of concrete is not thick enough, the inner tube can buckle outward
at the same section where outer tube buckled as observed by Zhao et al. [1].
Based on the above analysis, we may assume that the inner tube acts as if it stands
alone, but can develop its full yielding strength for the presence of the sandwiched
concrete; and the outer tube and sandwiched concrete have the same behaviour as a

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1145

fully-lled CFT column without the void. In other words, the conned state of the
concrete is the same as that in CFT column if the hollow section ratio is not larger
than 0.80. These assumptions will now be used to develop the theoretical model.
Stress versus strain relations were given in Han et al. [11] and Han and Huo [13]
for steel and conned concrete, respectively. In this paper, these stressstrain relations were adopted for steel tubes and concrete in the analysis.
A typical stressstrain curve for steel can consist of ve stages as shown in
Fig. 10. Detailed expressions are given in Han et al. [11].
The stressstrain relation for conned concrete is shown in Appendix A [13]. A
typical stressstrain curve with f ck 41 N=mm2 is shown in Fig. 11, where a connement factor (n) is dened to describe the composite action between the outer
steel tube and concrete as:
Aso  fsyo
fsyo
n
a
4
Ac;nominal  fck
fck
in which Aso is the cross-sectional area of the outer steel tube, Ac,nominal is the nominal cross-sectional area of the concrete, given by pDo  2tso 2 =4, tso is the thickness of the outer steel tube, fsyo is the yield stress of outer steel tube, and fck is the
compression strength of concrete. The value of fck is determined using 67% of the
compression strength of cubic blocks.
It can be seen from Fig. 11 that the higher the connement factor (n), the higher
the compression strength of conned concrete. It can also be seen from Fig. 11
that the higher n is, the more ductile is the conned concrete. The connement factor (n), to some extent, represents the composite action between the outer steel
tube and the concrete core.
The load versus axial strain relations can be established based on the following
assumptions:
1. There is no slip between the steel and concrete.
2. Longitudinal stressstrain models of steel and concrete are determined using the
equations as mentioned above.

Fig. 10. Typical stressstrain curve for steel.

1146

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Fig. 11. r versus e relations of concrete core.

3. Force equilibrium and deformation consistencies are considered along the longitudinal direction, i.e.
N Nsi Nso Nc

esil ecl esol

in which, Nsi, Nc and Nso are longitudinal forces carried by the inner steel tube,
the sandwiched concrete, and the outer steel tube, respectively; esil, ecl and esol
are longitudinal strains in the inner steel tube, the sandwiched concrete, and the
outer steel tube, respectively.
The procedures to calculate load versus axial strain are expressed as:
For a given (ith) increment in axial strain deli, the total ith axial strain el,i+1 is
equal to eli + deli. The longitudinal stress (rsol,i+1 and rsil,i+1 for outer and inner
steel tube, respectively, or rcl,i+1 for concrete) can be determined using the stress
strain relationship mentioned above. The axial load Ni is computed by adding the
forces in each of the components, including the two steel tubes and the concrete.
The predicted curves of load versus axial strain are compared in Fig. 12 with
experimental curves. Good agreement is obtained between the predicted and
tested curves in general. However, the post-peak curves have not been predicted
accurately enough for specimens in series cc4, cc6 and cc7. These specimens are
with either large hollow section ratio (cc4) or large diameter-to-thickness ratio
of the outer tube, which makes them more suspectable to local buckling. A
more reasonable method to predict the post-peak curves of these specimens is to
incorporate the inuence of local buckling by using dierent steel constitutive
models for compression and tension, which needs more tests to be conducted to
calibrate such kinds of models.

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1147

Fig. 12. Comparison of load versus axial strain curves between predicted and tests (stub columns).

Specimen
label

Dotso
(mm)

230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230

1100

486
486
486
486
486
512
524
524
524
524
428
428

291.6

291.6
291.6

454
416
453
430
433
395

470
470
470
470
470
470
470
470
470
470
452
452

291.6

NA
291.6

425
425
425
425
410
410

fsyi
(N/mm2)

58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6

27.9

27.9
27.9

63.4
63.4
63.4
63.4
63.4
63.4

fc

283
285
348
348
395
395
330
335
386
395
378
385

2311

2846
2750

1415
1380
1210
1110
1705
1605

Nue
(kN)

282
269
335
320
378
380
329
322
373
378
362
357

2063

2436
2551

1712
1454
1297
1176
1859
1729

Nu,t
(kN)

0.893

0.856
0.928

1.210
1.054
1.072
1.059
1.090
1.077
1.094
0.058

Nu,t/Nue

0.996
0.944
0.963
0.920
0.957
0.962
0.997
0.961
0.966
0.957
0.958
0.927

0.85
0.85
0.86
0.86
0.85
0.85
0.78
0.78
0.79
0.79
0.72
0.72

0.61

1802.0

62.01.00
62.00.94
62.71.23
62.41.20
62.01.00
62.00.94
62.01.00
62.00.94
62.71.14
62.21.13
61.80.87
61.60.88

0
0.62

NA
1802.0

1100
1100

400
400
400
400
400
400

L (mm) fsyo
(N/mm2)

(c) Wei et al. 1995a [5]

1
A1-1
74.81.03
2
A1-2
74.70.97
3
A2-1
75.41.29
4
A2-2
75.21.19
5
A3-1
76.31.78
6
A3-2
76.31.74
7
B1-1
81.00.90
8
B1-2
81.00.87
9
B2-1
81.51.11
10
B2-2
81.51.14
11
C1-1
87.40.99
12
C1-2
87.30.94

0.47
0.46
0.45
0.45
0.64
0.64

0.892
0.036

48.42.8
48.42.8
48.42.8
48.42.8
101.83.1
101.83.1

Ditsi
(mm)

(b) Lin and Tasi 2001 [4]

1
SS-2-C
3002
2
DS-06-2-2- 3004
C
3
DS-06-4-2- 3002
C
Average
COV

(a) Zhao et al. 2002b [9]

1
C1C7
114.55.9
2
C2C7
114.64.7
3
C3C7
114.43.5
4
C4C7
114.23.0
5
C5C8
165.13.5
6
C6C8
165.32.9
Average
COV

No.

Table 3
Comparisons of section capacities of stub columns between model and independent experiments

279
267
329
316
373
374
329
320
370
375
362
358

2136

2552
2690

1785
1476
1314
1192
2013
1822

Nu, s
(kN)

0.986
0.937
0.945
0.908
0.944
0.947
0.997
0.955
0.959
0.949
0.958
0.930

0.933
0.044

0.924

0.897
0.978

1.261
1.070
1.086
1.074
1.181
1.135
1.134
0.067

Nu, s/Nue

1148
Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

C2-1
C2-2
D1-1
D2-1
D3-1
D4-1
D5-1
D6-1
E1-1
E2-1
E3-1
E4-1
E5-1
E6-1

Average
COV

13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26

87.91.26
87.91.17
99.70.59
99.90.69
99.90.71
99.90.70
99.80.66
101.71.61
88.81.55
101.41.56
101.51.65
114.31.64
114.31.64
114.31.64

61.40.89
61.20.85
80.30.55
86.80.61
80.50.67
74.00.62
61.40.55
61.50.56
63.51.16
63.41.15
76.11.19
63.51.12
76.11.14
88.91.56

0.72
0.72
0.82
0.88
0.82
0.75
0.62
0.62
0.74
0.65
0.77
0.57
0.69
0.80

230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230
230

428
444
409
409
409
409
409
409
286
255
255
262
262
262

452
452
474
444
474
512
432
432
216
216
235
216
235
286

58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6
58.6

432
408
283
299
357
380
443
644
357
477
417
598
551
524

402
395
293
265
323
361
408
522
333
444
384
596
528
486
0.945
0.042

0.931
0.968
1.035
0.886
0.905
0.950
0.921
0.811
0.933
0.931
0.921
0.997
0.958
0.927

402
394
296
266
325
365
414
556
340
457
393
614
542
496
0.951
0.038

0.931
0.966
1.046
0.890
0.910
0.961
0.935
0.863
0.952
0.958
0.942
1.027
0.984
0.947

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1149

1150

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

The predicted section capacities (Nu,t) are compared in Table 1 and Fig. 13 with
those obtained in the current tests (Nue). A mean ratio (Nu,t/Nue) of 0.933 is
obtained with a COV (coecient of variation) of 0.029. Independent tests conducted by various researchers are summarized in Table 3 and compared in
Table 3 and Fig. 13 with those predicted by the theoretical model, generally
good agreements are obtained.
3.2. Theoretical model for beam-columns
A beam-column subjected to compression is shown in Fig. 14, where N is the
compression force, e is the load eccentricity and um is the mid-span deection.
When the load eccentricity (e) equals zero, the member under compression is called
a column. Otherwise the member is called a beam-column, i.e. it is under combined
bending and compression.
The load versus mid-span deection relations can be established based on the
following assumptions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Cross-sections remain plane.

The deection curve of the member is assumed as a half sine wave.
Eect of shear force on deection of members is omitted.
The stressstrain relationship for steel given in Fig. 10 is adopted for both tension and compression. The stressstrain relationship for concrete given in Fig. 11
and Appendix A is adopted for compression only. The contribution of concrete
in tension is neglected.

Fig. 13. Comparison of calculated strength between theoretical model and experiments (stub columns).

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1151

Fig. 14. A schematic view of a beam-column.

According to the assumption No. 4, the deection (u) of the member can be
expressed as:
p
7
u um  sin  z
L
where um is the mid-span deection, L is the length of the member and z is the
horizontal distance from the left support as dened in Fig. 14.
The curvature (/) at the mid-span can be calculated as:
/

p2
 um
L2

The strain distribution is shown in Fig. 15, where eo is the strain along the
geometrical center line of the section. The term ei is the strain at the location yi as
dened in Fig. 15. Along the line with y yi , the section can be divided into three
kinds of elements (dAso,i and dAsi,i for outer and inner steel tube, respectively, and
dAc,i for concrete) with unit depth. The strain at the center of each element can be
expressed as:
e i e o /  yi

Fig. 15. Distribution of strains.

1152

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

The stress at the center of each element (rso,i and rsi,i for outer and inner steel
tube, respectively, or rc,i for concrete) can be determined using the stressstrain
relationship mentioned as above.The internal moment (Min) and axial force (Nin)
can be calculated as:
X
Min
rso;i  dAso;i  yo;i rc;i  dAc;i  yc;i rsi;i  dAsi;i  yi;i
10
i

X
Nin
rso;i  dAso;i rc;i  dAc;i rsi;i  dAsi;i

11

According to the equilibrium condition,

Min Mapplied

12

Nin Napplied

13

From the above equations, the load versus mid-span deection relations can be
established for a certain eccentricity (e). The geometrical imperfection is taken as
L/1000 [11].
The predicted curves of load versus lateral deection are compared in Fig. 8 with
the current beam-column tests. A good agreement is obtained between the predicted and tested curves.
The predicted beam-column strengths are compared with the experimental values
in Table 2, as well as in Fig. 16, where a mean of 1.043, and COV (coecient of
variation) of 0.040 are obtained.
Fig. 17 illustrates the typical calculated interaction relationship between compressive strength ratio (N/Nu) and bending strength ratio (M/Mu) of CFDST
beam-columns with dierent column slenderness ratio (k), where Nu and Mu are

Fig. 16. Comparison of calculated strength between theoretical model and tests (beam-columns).

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1153

Fig. 17. Predicted axial load (N/Nu) versus moment (M/Mu) interaction curves.

the sectional capacity and bending moment capacity of the composite section,
respectively. It can be found that the member capacities of the composite beamcolumns decrease with the increasing of member slenderness ratio (k).

4. Simplied models
4.1. Section capacity
As observed from the tests and validated from the model calculation, it is expected that the outer tube behaves like a tube fully lled with concrete, whereas the
inner tube behaves like an empty one without local buckling before developing its
full yield strength when the hollow section ratio is less than 0.80. A kind of superposition model is thus used to determine the capacity of the composite section (Nu)
as follows.
Nu Nosc;u Ni;u

14

in which Nosc,u is the capacity of the outer steel tube with the sandwiched concrete;
N i;u Asi f syi , is the compressive capacity of the inner tube.
The determination of the compressive capacity of the outer steel tube with the
sandwiched concrete Nosc,u is similar to that of fully concrete inll steel tubular sections [10]. Nosc,u is given by
Nosc;u fscy  Asco

15

in which Asco Aso Ac ;

fscy C1 v2  fsyo C2 1:14 1:02n  fck

16

1154

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

where C1 and C2 are coecients, C 1 a=1 a; C 2 1 anominal =1 a, a

and anominal are steel ratio and nominal steel ratio, given by Aso/Ac and Aso/
Ac,nominal, respectively. The units for fscy and fck are N/mm2.
The sectional capacities predicted using Eq. (14) are compared with the stub columns obtained in the current test in Fig. 18a and Table 1. Results show that the
proposed method with a mean of 0.944 and a COV of 0.034. Independent tests are
also compared in Table 3 and Fig. 18a with those predicted by the simplied
model. The agreements are generally good.

Fig. 18. Comparison of calculated member capacity between simplied model and tests. (a) stub
columns; (b) beam-columns.

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1155

4.2. Interaction curves

Interaction equations have been suggested by Han et al. [14] to predict the member capacities of the CFDST beam-columns. Details of these equations are presented in Han et al. [14] and Appendix B in this paper.
The member capacities predicted using the proposed methods are compared with
the beam-column test results obtained in this paper in Fig. 18b. A mean of 0.959
and a COV of 0.069 are obtained. It can be found from the above comparisons
that the accuracy with which the formula predicted the experimental strength is
reasonable, and in general, the predictions are somewhat conservative, especially
for specimens with smaller Do/tso.
5. Conclusions
Fourteen stub column and 12 beam-column tests have been performed on
CFDST (CHS inner and CHS outer) sections. Theoretical models have been established for CFDST stub columns and beam-columns. A connement factor has been
used to describe the composite action between the outer steel tube and the sandwiched concrete. The following conclusions can be drawn based on the experimental and analytical results of the study:
1. Because of the inll of concrete, the tested CFDST (CHS inner and CHS outer)
stub columns and beam-columns behaved in a relatively ductile manner and
testing proceeded in a smooth and controlled fashion. The enhanced structural
behaviour of the stub columns can be explained in terms of composite action
between the steel tube and the concrete core.
2. The load versus axial strain relationship has been established for CFDST stub
columns. A good agreement in load versus axial strain relationship and in section capacities has been obtained between the predicted and experimental
values.
3. The predicted load versus lateral deection curves for CFDST beam-columns
have been found in good agreement with experimental values. The predicted
maximum strength of beam-columns agrees well with the tested values.
4. A simplied model should be suitable for incorporation into building codes has
been proposed for interaction curves of compression and bending. Compared
with the experimental results, the ultimate strength calculated with the formula
is reasonable, and in general, the predictions are somewhat conservative.

Acknowledgements
The research work reported herein was made possible by the Fujian Province
Science and Technology Big Project (2002H007), the nancial support is highly
appreciated. The authors also express special thanks to Mr. Zheng Yong-Qian, Mr.

1156

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

Liu Cheng-Chao, Miss Zheng Huai-Ying, and Mr. Zhuo Qiu-Lin for their assistance in the experiments.

Appendix A. Stressstrain relations for concrete

The stress (r)strain (e) relations for conned concrete of concrete-lled circular
steel sections are given in [13] as:
y 2x  x2

A1a

x
1

8
< 1 q  x0:1n  1
x
y
:
b  x  12 x

n  1:12
n < 1:12

x > 1

A1b

in which y r=ro , x e=eo

ro 1 0:054  n2 0:4  n 

eo ecc 1400 800 

24 0:45
 fc
fc

fc
 1  n0:2
24

A2

A3

where ecc 1300 12:5  fc

q

n0:745
2n
7

b 2:36  105 0:25n0:5  fc2  3:51  104

The units for stress and strain are N/mm2 and le, respectively.

Appendix B. Interaction equation for beam-column [14]

The axial load versus bending moment interaction curve of the CFDST beamcolumns can be expressed as:
N
a M

1 for N=Nu  2u3  go
uNu d Mu
b 

N 2
N
1 M
c 
1
Nu
Nu
d Mu

for N=Nu < 2u3  go

B1a

B1b

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

1157

in which
a 1  2u2  go ;

1  1o
;
u3  g2o

1o 1 0:18n1:15 ;

0:5  0:2445  n
go
0:1 0:14  n0:84
NE

2  1o  1
;
go

d 1  0:4 

N
;
NE

n
0:4
n > 0:4

elastic
p2  Esc
 Asc
k2

elastic
Esc
, the section modulus of CFDST in elastic stage, can be evaluated as:
elastic

Esc

Es Aso Asi Ec Ac
Asc

u is stability reduction factor, and can be expressed as:

8
1
k
ko
>
>
<
a1  k2 b1  k c1 ko < k
kp
u
d1
>
>
k > kp
:
k 352

B2

where
a1

1 35 2  kp  ko  e1
;
kp  ko 2

b1 e 1  2  a1  kp ;

c1 1  a1  k2o  b1  ko ;
235
25 0:3
a
 0:05 ;

fy
fck 5
0:1
s
s
420  n 550
0:75Es
:
; kp p  250
ko p 
fscy
fsyo

d1 13000 4657  ln

e1

d1
;
kp 353

Nu is the sectional capacity of the composite section, and can be determined by

using Eq. (14); Mu is the bending moment capacity of the composite section, and
can be calculated by
Mu cm Wscm fscy Mi;u

B3
pD4 D4

o
i
; fscy is given by Eq. (16); Mi;u
where cm 1:1 0:48lnn 0:1; Wscm 32D
o
Wsi  fsyi is moment capacity of the inner tube; Wsi is plastic section modulus of the
inner tube.

1158

Z. Tao et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 60 (2004) 11291158

References
[1] Zhao XL, Han B, Grzebieta RH. Plastic mechanism analysis of concrete-lled double-skin (SHS
inner and SHS outer) stub columns. Thin-Wall Struct 2002;40(10):81533.
[2] Elchalakani M, Zhao XL, Grzebieta RH. Tests on concrete lled double-skin (CHS outer and SHS
inner) composite short columns under axial compression. Thin-Wall Struct 2002;40(5):41541.
[3] Montague P. The experimental behavior of double skinned, composite, circular cylindrical shells
under external pressure. J Mech Eng Sci 1978;20(1):2134.
[4] Lin ML, Tsai KC. Behavior of double-skinned composite steel tubular columns subjected to combined axial and exural loads. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Steel and Composite Structures, Pusan, Korea, June 1416. 2001, p. 114552.
[5] Wei S, Mau ST, Vipulanandan C, Mantrala SK. Performance of new sandwich tube under axial
loading: experiment. J Struct Eng, ASCE 1995;121(12):180614.
[6] Wei S, Mau ST, Vipulanandan C, Mantrala SK. Performance of new sandwich tube under axial
loading: analysis. J Struct Eng, ASCE 1995;121(12):181521.
[7] Yagishita F, Kitoh H, Sugimoto M, Tanihira T, Sonoda K. Double-skin composite tubular columns subjected cyclic horizontal force and constant axial force. In: Xiao Y, Mahin SA, editors.
Proceedings of 6th ASCCS Conference, Los Angeles, USA, March 2224, University of Southern
California, vol. 1. 2000, p. 497503.
[8] Zhao XL, Grzebieta RH. Strength and ductility of concrete lled double skin (SHS inner and SHS
outer) tubes. Thin-Wall Struct 2002;40(2):199213.
[9] Zhao XL, Grzebieta RH, Elchalakani M. Tests of concrete-lled double skin CHS composite stub
columns. Steel Comp Struct: Int J 2002;2(2):12942.
[10] Han LH. Concrete lled steel tubular structures. Beijing: China Science Press; 2000.
[11] Han LH, Zhao XL, Tao Z. Tests and mechanics model of concrete-lled SHS stub columns, columns and beam-columns. Steel Comp Struct: Int J 2001;1(1):5174.
[12] Uy B. Local and post-local buckling of concrete lled steel welded box columns. J Construct Steel
Res 1998;47(1-2):4772.
[13] Han LH, Huo JS. Concrete-lled HSS columns after exposure to ISO-834 standard re. J Struct
Eng, ASCE 2003;129(1):6878.
[14] Han LH, Yao GH, Tao Z, Yang YF. Series study and design of concrete-lled HSS columns subjected to dierent kind of loading states. Fuzhou: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture,
Fuzhou University; 2003.