Advanced Steel Construction

Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 323-330 (2026)


 FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS ON HYSTERETIC PERFORMANCE OF HOLLOW RIBBED HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE FILLED SQUARE STEEL TUBULAR COLUMNS

 

Ying Xie 1, * and Xiao-Chuan Chen 2

1 School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Anhui Water Conservancy Technical College, Hefei 231603, China

2 Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Building Earthquake Disaster Mitigation and Green Operations, Anhui Institute of Building Research & Design, Hefei 230088, China

*(Corresponding author: E-mail:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Received: 1 February 2025; Revised: 11 September 2025; Accepted: 20 September 2025

 

DOI:10.18057/IJASC.2026.22.3.8

 

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ABSTRACT

Hollow ribbed high-strength concrete filled square steel tubular columns offer several benefits, including lightweight, high load-bearing capacity, and ease of installation. Their internal hollow structure also facilitates the arrangement of pipelines in industrial and residential buildings, thereby saving space. This study aims to investigate the hysteretic behavior of these columns under cyclic loads using finite element analysis software, ABAQUS. Initially, the accuracy and applicability of the model established in this study are verified against existing literature. Subsequently, a comprehensive set of finite element models for hollow ribbed high-strength concrete filled square steel tubular columns are developed. These models undergo a full-process analysis, including stress analysis at various critical points. The study examines the influence of parameters such as steel ratio, yield strength of steel tubes, compressive strength of the concrete core, hollow ratio, and axial compression ratio on the hysteretic performance of the columns. Finally, the modified flexural capacity calculation equations are applied to the composite columns in this study and compared with the peak load from the skeleton curve. The findings reveal that the load-displacement curve of these columns can be categorized into three stages: elastic, elastic-plastic, and decline. During the elastic and plastic stages, the steel tubes primarily carry the load, while the internal ribs of the tubes delay member collapse in the decline stage. Based on the parameter analysis, it is recommended that the height of the stiffener should be limited to within 15% of the section width in design. The concrete strength is advised to be maintained below C90. The calculated flexural capacity aligns with the simulated values, with a mean error of 6.7%.

 

KEYWORDS

Hollow concrete filled square steel tube, Stiffening rib, Flexural bearing capacity, Hysteresis performance, Finite element analysis


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