Axial capacity of steel tube-reinforced concrete stub columns.

Highlights • ST-RC column is an innovative type of composite structure. • The secondary confining force was determined. • A modified superposition method was developed. • The predictions of the proposed formula fitted well with the test results. Abstract The steel tube-reinforced concrete (ST-RC) column is an innovative composite structure that has been increasingly applied in high-rise buildings and bridge piers in China. This study aims to investigate the axial capacity of the ST-RC stub column by means of a modified superposition method. Primarily, the sectional confining force equilibrium was elaborated to explain the confinement mechanism of the ST-RC column under concentric compression, which involves the confining stress induced from the inner steel tube and secondary confining stress induced from the peripheral steel hoops. Thereafter, a modified method for predicting the axial capacity of the ST-RC column, considering the secondary confinement, was developed according to a stress and strain analysis. Thirdly, 41 published specimens were collected to verify the accuracy of the proposed method. It was demonstrated that the current method fitted strongly with the tests results and exhibited satisfactory adaptability. Finally, four other methods according to ACI 318, AIJ, EC 4, and CECS 188-2005 were verified in the same scenario. It was found that the current method exhibited superior correlation with the experimental results compared with conventional approaches. It will be favorable to obtain the viable axial capacity of the ST-RC column by using the presented solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]