Nonlinear analysis of elliptical concrete-filled stainless steel tubular short columns under axial compression

Abstract Elliptical concrete-filled stainless steel tubular (CFSST) columns are high-performance composite columns that have the enormous potentiality to be used in composite construction in the near future. However, to date, limited studies on the performance analysis of such columns under axial compression have been performed taking into account the accurate material laws of stainless steel and the confined concrete. This paper presents a mathematical model to investigate the axial performance of elliptical CFSST short columns. Accurate material laws of stainless steel and the confined concrete are incorporated in the numerical modeling to capture their true performance. Independent test results are utilized to validate the accuracy of the mathematical predictions. A parameter study is performed to study the important column parameters on their axial performance. The investigations of the accuracy of the existing design models for CFST columns in designing axially loaded elliptical CFSST columns are performed with the test and numerical predictions.