Compressive behavior of T-shaped concrete filled steel tubular columns

Special-shaped column structures improve residential architectural space, compared with traditional frame structures. However, in respect to applicable building height and seismic fortification intensity, traditional special-shaped reinforced concrete (RC) columns have strict limitations in seismic behavior, which hampers further generalization and application of special-shaped columns. Due to increase in constraint effect for concrete, special-shaped concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns are expected to behave advantages on the strength, ductility and seismic behavior over special-shaped RC columns. However, special attention should be paid to prevent the steel plates’ premature local buckling and the separation between steel tube and concrete at inner corners. The battlement-shaped bar stiffeners and tensile bar stiffeners, welded on tube surfaces, were first put forward in this paper. Experimental study of 9 stubs in three groups subjected to axial loads was conducted, and the specimens consist of 3 square stubs (including 1 non-stiffened and 2 stiffened CFST specimens) and 6 T-shaped stubs (including 1 RC specimen, 2 non-stiffened and 3 stiffened CFST specimens). Failure modes and static properties of the specimens were investigated. Experimental results reveal that: Due to the constraint effect provided by T-shaped tubes, the CFST specimens behave advantages on the RC specimen in the ascending stiffness, peak resistance and ductility (except for the battlement-shaped bar stiffened CFSTs). For square and T-shaped stiffened CFST specimens, the stiffeners improve their ductility, especially the tensile bar which gives the best performance in ductility and improves the peak resistance substantially. The stiffeners postpone the buckling of tubes, and even upgrade the classification of composite sections, without thickening the tubes.