Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195

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Journal of Constructional Steel Research

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Tests on inclined, tapered and STS concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST)

stub columns
Lin-Hai Han a, , Qing-Xin Ren a,b , Wei Li a
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Key Laboratory of Structural Engineering and Vibration of China Education Ministry, Beijing, 100084, PR China
b
School of Civil Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, 110168, PR China

article info abstract

Article history: This paper is an attempt to study the behaviour of the inclined, tapered and straight-tapered-straight
Received 13 January 2010 (STS) concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) stub columns. A total of 34 specimens were tested. The main
Accepted 25 March 2010 parameters were the column type (inclined, tapered and STS), inclined or tapered angle (from 0
to 9) and the cross-sectional type (circular and square). Comparisons with predicted cross-sectional
Keywords: strengths were made using the existing codes: AIJ-2008, AISC-2005, BS5400-2005, DBJ-13-51-2003 and
Concrete-filled steel tube
EC4-2004.
Inclined column
Tapered column
2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Straight-tapered-straight (STS) column
Cross-sectional strength

1. Introduction as illustrated in Fig. 1(1). Moreover, it can be used to form

It is well known that concrete-filled steel tubes (CFST) have
been well recognized for their excellent mechanical behaviours
and constructional properties.
In the past, there were a large number of studies carried
out on CFST stub columns with a uniformed cross section along
the longitudinal direction. These literature had been reviewed
by Schneider [1] and Han [2]. In recent few years, some more
research have been performed on CFST stub columns, such as Han
and Yao [3], Han et al. [4,5], Lam et al. [6], Liang et al. [7], Tao
et al. [8], Thayalan et al. [9], Zhao and Packer [10]. There were also
some research reported on concrete-filled stainless steel tubular
stub columns, such as Dabaon et al. [11,12], Lam et al. [13], Tao
et al. [14], and concrete-filled aluminum stub columns (Zhou and
Young [15]). However, it seems that there are seldom research
reported on the performance of inclined or tapered in elevation
CFST members.
Fig. 1 shows the schematic views of applications using the
inclined and tapered members in a large span structure, via
duct pier and high-rise building. The inclined column can bring
the audience special space experience in spatial structures or to
deal with the irregular architecture style in high-rise buildings,
Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 10 62797067; fax: +86 10 62781488.
E-mail address: lhhan@tsinghua.edu.cn (L.-H. Han).
an effective load transfer system in the structure. The tapered
members, where the sections are varying along the longitudinal
direction, could be used to adapt the architecture requirement,
as shown in Fig. 1(2). In some high-rise buildings or industrial
structures, the section profile of the lower column is usually
larger than that of the upper column, thus the straight-tapered-
straight (STS) members could be used in the transition zone to
connect with the upper and lower column segments, as shown
in Fig. 1(3).
When compared to conventional straight CFST members, it
is expected that the performance of the inclined, tapered and
STS columns may be different due to the inclined angle and the
changing of the cross-sectional profile. These columns may be
served as vertical load resistant members in structures, therefore
their load carrying capacities should be evaluated referencing the
existing codes.
The present study is thus an attempt to investigate the
behaviour of the inclined, tapered and straight-tapered-straight
(STS) concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) stub columns. The main
objectives of this research are two-fold. First, to report a series
of new tests of the inclined, tapered and STS composite stub
columns. The influence of the cross-sectional profile, the inclined
and tapered angles on the composite columns were studied.
Second, to compare the predicted and measured cross-sectional
strengths of the inclined, tapered and STS CFST members on cross
sections by using codes: AIJ [16], AISC [17], BS5400 [18], DBJ13-51-
2003 [19] and EC4 [20].

0143-974X/$ see front matter 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jcsr.2010.03.014
 L.-H. Han et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195 1187

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) was poured into the tube

Nomenclature without any vibration, then the specimens were placed upright
until the test. During the curing, a very small amount of
B Width of square tube section longitudinal shrinkage occurred at the top of the specimen. A high-
CFST Concrete-filled steel tube
strength concrete was then used to fill this longitudinal gap so
D Diameter of circular tube section
that the concrete surface was flush with the steel tube at the
Ec Elastic modulus of concrete
top. Finally a 20 mm steel cover plate was welded to the steel
Es Elastic modulus of steel
tube in order to fully transfer the vertical load to the column
fy Yield strength of steel
section.
fu Ultimate strength of steel
Only one type of steel were used to manufacture the tubes in
fcu Strength of concrete cube
the test. Standard tensile coupon tests were conducted to measure
H Height of the stub column
the material properties of the steel tubes. The thickness (t ) of
Nh Horizontal force
Nuc Predicted ultimate vertical load the steel is 3.75 mm. The average yield strength (fy ) and the
Nue Measured ultimate vertical load ultimate strength (fu ) are 410.1 MPa and 518.8 MPa, respectively.
Nv Vertical load The modulus of elasticity (Es ) for steel is 1.95 105 MPa, and the
SI Strength index Poissons ratio is 0.279.
t Wall thickness of steel tube The self-consolidating concrete (SCC) mixture was designed
Vertical displacement of stub column with a compressive cube strength (fcu ) at 28 days of approximately
L Longitudinal strain 60 MPa. The average modulus of elasticity (Ec ) of concrete was
t Transverse strain 33,600 MPa. The mix proportions were as follows:
y Yield strain of steel Cement: 450 kg/m3
Inclined or tapered angle
Blast furnace slag: 170 kg/m3
Water: 181 kg/m3
2. Experimental program and test results Sand: 815 kg/m3
Coarse aggregate: 815 kg/m3
Additional high-range water reducer (HRWR): 5.2 kg/m3
2.1. Experimental program
The average cube strength of the SCC is 69.6 MPa at the time of the
The experimental study was to determine the cross-sectional test.
strengths and the failure patterns of the specified CFST stub For the inclined column in a non-sway structure, the specified
columns. Experiments on specimens with hollow sections were boundary condition is shown in Fig. 3(1). There are combined
also conducted for comparison. forces of bending, compressing and shearing at both ends of the
A total of 34 specimens were tested in the program. Fig. 2 shows column. Only a half length of the column is assumed as the
a schematic view of the test specimens. The main parameters prototype of the stub inclined column in this paper, as shown in
varied in the tests include: Fig. 3(2). The following boundary condition is taken for the inclined
Column type: inclined, tapered, and STS; specimen: the specimen is fixed at the bottom, and the horizontal
Inclined or tapered angle: from 0 to 9; movement (dx ) on the top of column is constraint. The vertical load
Cross-sectional type: square and circular; hollow and concrete- (Nv ) applied can be decomposed into the horizontal force (Nh ) and
filled section. the longitudinal force, as shown in Fig. 3(3).
The stub column for the inclined, tapered and STS column is
A summary of the specimens is presented in Table 1. The following
tentatively defined in this paper, i.e., the maximum section width
naming rules are used to characterize each specimen.
or diameter to the total height ratio equals to 1/3.
The initial characters I, T or STS stand for the inclined For the inclined columns, the specimens were fixed at the base
column, the tapered column or the straight-tapered-straight with high-strength bolts. The vertical load (Nv ) was applied by a
column, respectively; 5000 kN hydraulic ram. The block and tackle allowed the top of the
The following character S or C stands for the square or column to move along the vertical direction while the horizontal
circular sections, respectively; movement was prevented. A schematic view of the test setup is
The last character H (if any) stands for the hollow section shown in Fig. 4(1).
without filling concrete; For the tapered and STS columns, the vertical load (Nv ) was
The first Arabic numeral stands for the different group with the applied on the top of the column. The specimen was placed into
same column type, and, the testing machine and the load was directly applied on the top
The second Arabic numeral stands for the different specimen in of the specimen. Fig. 4(2) and (3) give the schematic views of test
the same group. arrangements.
For example, the specimen with the label STSSH1-2 denotes the The vertical load (Nv ) applied on the top and the horizontal
second specimen in the first group of the STS column, where the reaction force (Nh ) for the inclined column were recorded during
square hollow section is used. the test by a pressure sensor. Twenty-four strain gauges were
The detailed parameters of the specimens in the test series are used to measure the strains on the upper, middle and lower
listed in Table 1, where B or D is the width or diameter of the steel sections for each specimen. The strain gauges were arranged
tube; t is the wall thickness of the tube. along or perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of specimens.
The tubes were all manufactured from steel plates. For the Two displacement transducers were used to measure the vertical
inclined or tapered segments, the specified shape was cut from deformation, as shown in Fig. 4.
the plates, tack welded into a circular or square section with a A load interval of less than one tenth of the estimated carrying
single bevel butt weld. Before casting the concrete, each hollow load capacity was used. Each load interval was maintained for
tube was welded to a 20 mm thick steel base plate at one end. about 2 min.
1188 L.-H. Han et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195

Fig. 1. Inclined, tapered and STS CFST columns used in structures.

Fig. 2. Schematic view of inclined, tapered and STS CFST stub columns.

Table 1
Specimen labels and sectional capacities.
Column type No. Specimen number () Top section Bottom section Nue (kN) SI
B(D) t (mm) B(D) t (mm)
Measured Average

1 IS1-1 0 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 3953 1.012

3908
2 IS1-2 0 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 3862 0.988
3 IS2-1 4 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 3852 0.986
3775
4 IS2-2 4 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 3696 0.946
5 IS3-1 9 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 3563 0.912
3599
6 IS3-2 9 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 3634 0.930
7 ISH1-1 9 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 687 0.176
Inclined 684
8 ISH1-2 9 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 680 0.174
9 TS1-1 2 -158 3.75 -200 3.75 2808 0.812
2842
10 TS1-2 2 -158 3.75 -200 3.75 2876 0.832
11 TS2-1 4 -116 3.75 -200 3.75 1902 0.550
1976
12 TS2-2 4 -116 3.75 -200 3.75 2049 0.592
13 TSH1-1 4 -116 3.75 -200 3.75 651 0.188
664
14 TSH1-2 4 -116 3.75 -200 3.75 675 0.195
15 TC1-1 0 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 3442 0.996
3459
16 TC1-2 0 -200 3.75 -200 3.75 3474 1.005
17 TC2-1 2 -158 3.75 -200 3.75 2574 0.745
2515
Tapered
18 TC2-2 2 -158 3.75 -200 3.75 2456 0.710
19 TC3-1 4 -116 3.75 -200 3.75 1785 0.516
1759
20 TC3-2 4 -116 3.75 -200 3.75 1733 0.501
21 TCH1-1 4 -116 3.75 -200 3.75 657 0.190
653
22 TCH1-2 4 -116 3.75 -200 3.75 649 0.188
23 STSS1-1 2 -186 3.75 -200 3.75 3251 0.940
3274
24 STSS1-2 2 -186 3.75 -200 3.75 3296 0.953
25 STSS2-1 4 -172 3.75 -200 3.75 3181 0.920
3122
26 STSS2-2 4 -172 3.75 -200 3.75 3064 0.886
27 STSSH1-1 4 -172 3.75 -200 3.75 674 0.195
706
28 STSSH1-2 4 -172 3.75 -200 3.75 737 0.213
29 STSC1-1 2 -186 3.75 -200 3.75 3034 0.877
3010
30 STSC1-2 2 -186 3.75 -200 3.75 2985 0.863
Straight-Tapered-Straight (STS) 31 STSC2-1 4 -172 3.75 -200 3.75 2763 0.799
2854
32 STSC2-2 4 -172 3.75 -200 3.75 2945 0.852
33 STSCH1-1 4 -172 3.75 -200 3.75 833 0.241
831
34 STSCH1-2 4 -172 3.75 -200 3.75 829 0.240

2.2. Experimental results shows the photos of the specimens after testing. Fig. 6 shows the
schematic views of failure modes of the CFST and hollow section
All test specimens behaved in a relatively ductile manner and columns. Fig. 7 shows the exposed views of inner concrete. Fig. 8
the testing proceeded in a smooth and controlled way. Fig. 5 gives the recorded vertical load (Nv ) versus vertical displacement
 L.-H. Han et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195
Fig. 3. Mechanical model of inclined column.
Fig. 4. Arrangement of test specimens (unit, mm).
() curves. Nv versus strains () relationship on different sections
are shown in Fig. 9, where the positions of sections 11, 22
and 33 are indicated in Fig. 4. The longitudinal and transverse
steel fibers are in compression and tension, respectively, and the
longitudinal strains (L ) and the transverse strains (t ) are denoted
as positive and negative, respectively. The yield strain (y ) of steel
is also denoted in Fig. 9. The measured strength of the stub column
(Nue ) are listed in Table 1.
(1) Inclined columns
For the inclined CFST columns, only local outward buckling
was found on the steel tubes, due to the support provided by the
inner concrete. The buckling sections for inclined specimens are
approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Despite
the inclined angles, the failure modes of the inclined CFST columns
are similar to the referred straight ones with a same column section
in the experimental observation, as shown in Fig. 5(1). Fig. 6(1a)
and (2a) show the typical failure modes of the inclined CFST and
hollow section columns, respectively. It can be seen that for the
hollow section column without filling concrete, both inward and
outward buckling was observed on the steel tube, and the outward
buckling area is larger than that of the concrete-filled one. For the
inclined CFST column, the inner concrete was crushed where the
outward buckling of steel tube was formed, as shown in Fig. 7(1).
This phenomenon is similar to that of straight CFST column.
The vertical load versus vertical displacement relationships for
inclined columns are shown in Fig. 8(1). The cross section which
was perpendicular to the longitudinal line decreased with the
increasing of the inclined angle. For instance, the profile of the
cross section 11 for specimens IS1 ( = 0), IS2 ( = 4) and
IS3 ( = 9) are 200 mm 200 mm, 200 mm 199.5 mm and
1189
200 mm 197.5 mm, respectively. It was found that the inclined
angle has a moderate effect on the cross-sectional strength (Nue ) of
stub columns. The vertical strength of the inclined column with an
angle of 4 was 3.4% lower than that of the corresponding straight
one, and the strength of 9 inclined CFST column was 4.7% lower
than that of 4 inclined CFST column.
Before the steel tube yields, L and t are generally uniformed
along the specimen. After the ultimate load (Nue ) is reached, the
outward local buckling is found on the steel tube. As a result,
the longitudinal and transverse strains on the buckled section
developed continuously as shown in Fig. 9(1).
Fig. 10 shows the typical measured horizontal load (Nh ) versus
vertical load (Nv ) relationships of the inclined CFST columns. It can
be seen that, Nh increases with the increasing of inclined angle ( ),
and when Nv is small, Nh is approximately proportional to Nv .
(2) Tapered columns
For the tapered stub columns, the section areas were reduced
gradually from the bottom to the top due to the tapered angle ( ).
For the infilled concrete columns, the outward buckling of the steel
tube was found near the top section, i.e. section AA, as shown in
Fig. 5(2), Fig. 6(1b) and (1c). The concrete was crushed where the
outward buckling occurred, as shown in Fig. 7 (2) and (3). Fig. 6(2b)
and (2c) illustrated the typical failure modes of square and circular
hollow columns, respectively. It can be found that for the square
hollow section columns, obvious outward and inward buckling
was observed on the middle of the column. For the circular hollow
tubes, the elephant-foot like buckling was observed on the upper
section.
From Fig. 8(2a) and (2b), it can be found that the cross-
sectional strength (Nue ) of the tapered column decreased with the
1190 L.-H. Han et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195
Fig. 5. Photos of specimens after testing.
increasing of tapered angle. The strength of the 2 tapered CFST
column decreased about 27% for both square and circular sections
compared to the referred straight one. For the tapered CFST column
with an angle of 4, the cross-sectional strength decreased about
30% for both square and circular sections when compared to the 2
tapered specimen.
It can be seen from Fig. 9(2) that, for the square and circular
tapered columns, L and t on the upper section were bigger
than those on the lower section under the same load level. For
the square tapered columns, when the ultimate load (Nue ) was
reached, the longitudinal strains (L ) on section 11 and section
33 were 3275 and 1661 , respectively, and the transverse
strains (t ) were 890 and 323 , respectively. The strains
on section 11 continuously developed after the peak load, while
the strains on sections 22 and 33 decreased. The remaining
strains after unloading the column on sections 22 and 33 were
very small, which means no plastic deformation is developed on
these sections during the test. For the circular tapered columns,
the longitudinal strains (L ) on section 11 and section 33 were
5016 and 1962 , respectively, and the transverse strains (t )
were 2266 and 717 , respectively. The strains on the
upper section developed continuously after Nue was reached as
well.
(3) STS columns
Fig. 5(3) shows the photos of STS columns after testing.
Fig. 6(1d), (2d) and (1e), (2e) show the typical failure modes of the
CFST and hollow section STS columns, respectively. As expected,
for the STS CFST columns, only outward local buckling of the steel
tube occurred near the top section, and the concrete there was
crushed, as shown in Fig. 7(4) and (5). For the square hollow
section columns without filling concrete, both outward and inward
buckling would occur on the upper, middle or lower column
segments, and the buckling areas were bigger than those of the
CFST columns. For the circular hollow section columns without
filling concrete, the extinct outward buckling was found only on
the upper column segment, and the buckling areas were larger
when compared to CFST columns.
As shown in Fig. 8(3a) and (3b), it can be found that the tapered
angle ( ) has a significant effect on the cross-sectional strength
(Nue ) of STS columns. For the 2 square and circular STS CFST
columns, the strength decreased 16.2% and 13.0% compared to
the referred straight specimen, respectively. For the 4 square and
circular STS CFST columns, the cross-sectional strength decreased
4.6% and 5.2% compared to the 2 specimens, respectively.
Typical Nv versus longitudinal (L ) and transverse strain (t )
curves for STS columns are shown in Fig. 9(3). For the square
STS CFST column, the longitudinal strain on section 11 (L1 ) was
8161 when Nue was reached, while the strain on section 33
(L3 ) was 1601 . The transverse strains on section 11 and 33
(t1 and t3 ) were 7637 and 458 , respectively. For the
circular STS CFST column, L1 and L3 were 17563 and 2222 ,
respectively, while t1 and t3 were 9523 and 709 ,
respectively. Both longitudinal and transverse strains on upper
sections are higher than those on lower sections, and the strains
of the circular STS CFST columns are larger than those of the
corresponding square specimens.
Fig. 11 shows comparisons of the cross-sectional strength (Nue )
of CFST and referred hollow steel tubes. It is obvious that the
strength of the CFST stub columns were significantly enhanced
because of the filling of concrete. For the inclined members, the
strength of the CFST column is 5.26 times than that of the hollow
tube. For the tapered stub columns, the strength of the square
and circular CFST members is 2.98 and 2.69 times than that of the
hollow tube, respectively. For the STS stub columns, the strength
of the square and circular concrete-filled members is 4.42 and
3.43 times than these of the hollow specimens, respectively. It
seems that the strength increment of the square section member
is slightly higher than that of the circular section for the current
tested specimens.
Fig. 12 shows the general strains ( u ) of the CFST and
referred hollow steel tubes, where u (=u /H , u is the vertical
displacement corresponding to ultimate load) is the average
longitudinal strain of the testing specimen corresponding to the
ultimate load (Nue ). It can be found that, for both CFST and hollow
tube columns, u of the specimens with circular sections is larger
than that of the square section in the current testing. It can also be
found that u of the concrete-filled columns are larger than those
of the referred hollow steel tubes. This contributes to the fact that
the infilled concrete can delay the local buckling of the steel tube
effectively.
 L.-H. Han et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195 1191

a b c d e

a b c d e

Fig. 6. Failure modes of CFST and hollow steel tube columns.

Fig. 7. Failure modes of core concrete.

3. Analysis and discussions
3.1. Strength index
For convenience of analysis, a strength index (SI ) is defined to
quantify the cross-sectional strength as follow:
Nue
SI =
Nue-straight
where, Nue is the measured ultimate vertical load; Nue-straight is
the average experimental strength of the referred straight CFST
stub column. The strength indexes (SI ) so determined are listed
in Table 1, and are plotted in Fig. 13 against the inclined or tapered
angle ( ).
It can be found that, for the inclined columns, SI decreases with
the increasing of , as shown in Fig. 13(1). For the tapered column,
the strength is dominated by the section with minimum profile,
thus SI also decreases with the increasing of . SI of the square and
circular tapered columns decrease 17.8% and 30.5% with an angle
of 2, respectively, and they decrease 27.3% and 30.1% when the
angle change from 2 to 4, respectively. SI of the circular tapered
column is slightly smaller than that of the square one.
The strength indexes of the STS columns decrease moderately
with the increasing of , as shown in Fig. 13(3). SI of the square and
circular STS columns decrease 5.4% and 13.0% with a tapered angle
of 2, respectively. SI decrease 4.6% and 5.1% when the tapered
angle change from 2 to 4 for the square and circular columns,
respectively. It is due to the fact that, for STS columns, the profile
of the section reduces moderately when the tapered angle ( )
increases.
(1)
According to the current testing data, empirical formula of SI
with respect to can be given, as shown in Fig. 13.
3.2. Prediction of the cross-sectional strength
Several design codes for calculating the capacity of conventional
CFSTs, such as AIJ [16], AISC [17], BS5400 [18], DBJ13-51-2003 [19]
and EC4 [20] are used to predict the cross-sectional strength of the
inclined, tapered and STS CFST columns tentatively in this paper.
In the calculations, the material partial safety factors were set to
unity.
The capacities of the tested CFST stub columns are predicted as
the capacity of the equivalent CFST cross section using the design
codes. For the inclined column, the equivalent cross section refers
1192 L.-H. Han et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195

Fig. 8. Vertical load (Nv ) versus vertical displacement () relationship.

to the section that perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
i.e. section 11 or 22 or 33, as indicated in Fig. 4(1). For
the tapered column, this cross section refers to the top section,
i.e. section AA in Fig. 4(2). For the STS column, it refers to the
section of upper column segment, i.e. section 11 in Fig. 4(3).
The predicted cross-sectional strengths (Nuc ) using the differ-
ent codes are compared with the test results (Nue ) in Table 2. The
mean value and the standard deviation of the ratio of Nuc /Nue are
listed in Table 2 as well.
The results clearly show that all the codes mentioned above
were conservative for predicting the capacities of the specimens.
For the inclined CFST stub columns, AIJ (2008) and AISC (2005)
gave a cross-sectional strength about 19% lower than the results
obtained in the tests. BS5400 (2005) and EC4 (2004) gave the
member capacities about 42% and 29% lower than those of the
measured ultimate strength, respectively. The method proposed
by DBJ13-51-2003 (2003) gives a mean of 0.887 and a standard
deviation of 0.025.
For the tapered CFST stub columns, AIJ (2008), AISC (2005) and
BS5400 (2005) gave the cross-sectional strength about 29 37%
lower than the results obtained in the tests. DBJ13-51-2003 (2003)
gives a mean of 0.800. EC4 (2004) give a mean of 0.827 and a
standard deviation of 0.186, is the best method to predict the cross-
sectional strength of the tapered column.
For the STS stub columns, AIJ (2008), AISC (2005) and EC4 (2004)
gave a member capacity about 22% lower than the results. BS5400
 L.-H. Han et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195 1193

Fig. 9. Typical vertical load (Nv ) versus strain () relationship.

(2005) gives a mean of 0.638. The method proposed by DBJ13-51-
2003 (2003) gives a mean of 0.832 and a standard deviation of 0.06,
is the best predictor.
4. Conclusions
The present study is an attempt to study the behaviour of the
inclined, tapered and STS stub columns. Based on the test results,
the following conclusions can be drawn within the scope of the
current study:
(1) The tested inclined, tapered and STS CFST stub columns
behaved in a very ductile manner. The typical failure modes of
these CFST stub columns were the outward local buckling on
the steel tubes.
(2) For the inclined CFST columns, the vertical load carrying
capacities decreased slightly with the increasing of the inclined
1194 L.-H. Han et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195

Table 2
Comparison between predicted capacities (Nuc ) and test results (Nue ).
Specimen series No. Specimen number Nue /kN AIJ (2008) AISC (2005) BS5400 (2005) DBJ13-51-2003 (2003) EC4 (2004)
Nuc /kN Nuc /Nue Nuc /kN Nuc /Nue Nuc /kN Nuc /Nue Nuc /kN Nuc /Nue Nuc /kN Nuc /Nue

1 IS1-1 3953 3086 0.781 3086 0.781 2199 0.556 3360 0.850 2681 0.678
2 IS1-2 3862 3086 0.799 3086 0.799 2199 0.569 3360 0.870 2681 0.694
3 IS2-1 3852 3073 0.798 3073 0.798 2191 0.569 3346 0.869 2670 0.693
4 IS2-2 3696 3073 0.831 3073 0.831 2191 0.593 3346 0.905 2670 0.722
Inclined
5 IS3-1 3563 3017 0.847 3017 0.847 2152 0.604 3285 0.922 2622 0.736
6 IS3-2 3634 3017 0.830 3017 0.830 2152 0.592 3285 0.904 2622 0.722
Mean 0.814 0.814 0.581 0.887 0.708
Standard deviation 0.023 0.023 0.017 0.025 0.020
1 TS1-1 2808 2099 0.748 2099 0.748 1546 0.551 2297 0.818 1851 0.659
2 TS1-2 2876 2099 0.730 2099 0.730 1546 0.538 2297 0.799 1851 0.644
3 TS2-1 1902 1289 0.678 1289 0.678 991 0.521 1430 0.752 1160 0.610
4 TS2-2 2049 1289 0.629 1289 0.629 991 0.484 1430 0.698 1160 0.566
5 TC1-1 3442 2680 0.779 2597 0.754 2383 0.692 2753 0.800 3543 1.029
6 TC1-2 3474 2680 0.771 2597 0.747 2383 0.686 2753 0.792 3543 1.020
Tapered
7 TC2-1 2574 1850 0.719 1705 0.662 1906 0.740 2471 0.960 2471 0.960
8 TC2-2 2456 1850 0.753 1705 0.694 1906 0.776 2471 1.006 2471 1.006
9 TC3-1 1785 1156 0.648 1068 0.598 1114 0.624 1209 0.677 1561 0.874
10 TC3-2 1733 1156 0.667 1068 0.616 1114 0.643 1209 0.698 1561 0.901
Mean 0.712 0.686 0.626 0.800 0.827
Standard deviation 0.053 0.058 0.099 0.109 0.186
1 STSS1-1 3251 2736 0.842 2736 0.842 1970 0.606 2983 0.918 2388 0.735
2 STSS1-2 3296 2736 0.83 2736 0.83 1970 0.598 2983 0.905 2388 0.724
3 STSS2-1 3181 2407 0.757 2407 0.757 1752 0.551 2628 0.826 2111 0.664
4 STSS2-2 3064 2407 0.786 2407 0.786 1752 0.572 2628 0.858 2111 0.689
5 STSC1-1 3034 2387 0.787 2298 0.757 2147 0.708 2453 0.808 2670 0.880
STS
6 STSC1-2 2985 2387 0.8 2298 0.77 2147 0.719 2453 0.822 2670 0.894
7 STSC2-1 2763 2110 0.764 2107 0.763 1920 0.695 2170 0.785 2329 0.843
8 STSC2-2 2945 2110 0.717 2107 0.716 1920 0.652 2170 0.737 2329 0.791
Mean 0.785 0.778 0.638 0.832 0.778
Standard deviation 0.040 0.041 0.065 0.060 0.088

Fig. 12. Average strains ( u ) on CFST and hollow steel tube columns.

Fig. 10. Vertical load (Nv ) versus horizontal load (Nh ) relationship.
angle. The capacity of inclined column with square section
deceased 7.9% when the inclined angle varied from 0 to 9.
(3) For the tapered CFST columns, the strength decreased signif-
icantly with the increasing of the tapered angle. The cross-
sectional strength decreased about 43% and 49% for the square
and circular columns when the angle varied from 0 to 4,
respectively.
(4) For the STS CFST columns, the cross-sectional strength
decreased about 20% and 18% for the square and circular
section columns when the tapered angle varied from 0 to 4,
respectively.
(5) The test results were compared with predicted results using
codes AIJ-2008, AISC-2005, BS5400-2005, DBJ13-51-2003
and EC4-2004 tentatively. Generally, all these codes were
conservative for predicting the cross-sectional strength of the
Fig. 11. Sectional capacities (Nue ) of CFST and hollow steel tube columns. inclined, tapered and STS CFST columns.
 L.-H. Han et al. / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 66 (2010) 11861195
Fig. 13. Strength index (SI ) versus inclined or tapered angle () relations.
Acknowledgements
The research reported in this paper is part of Project 50978150
supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
(NSFC), the Research Foundation of the Ministry of Railways and
Tsinghua University (RFMOR & THU) (NO. J2008G011), and the
Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in
University (IRT00736). The financial support is highly appreciated.
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