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Assessment of concrete-encased steel composite columns subject to axial and

eccentric loading

Conference Paper · October 2023

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Rajan Basyal Mahesh Raj Bhatt

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 3rd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND POST DISASTER
RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING (ICEE-PDRP 2023)
17-19 OCTOBER 2023, BHAKTAPUR, NEPAL

Assessment of oncrete-encased teel omposite olumns ubject

to xial and ccentric oading
Rajan Basyal1, Mahesh Raj Bhatt2

Abstract
Concrete-encased steel composite columns are a superior alternative to reinforced concrete (RC) and
pure steel columns, offering the benefits of both concrete and steel. This study employs numerical
analysis to explore the behavior of circular cross-section composite columns under axial and eccentric
loads, with a primary focus on investigating how steel section variations affect their performance.
Finite element simulations, executed using ABAQUS software, incorporate a concrete-damaged
plasticity model to accurately depict the concrete failure mechanism. The research also includes a
parametric analysis to examine how the column lengths influence the load-carrying capacity and
deflection. Notably, the study's findings demonstrate that changing the steel section and length has
significant effects on the load-carrying capacity and deflection of composite columns.

Keywords: Concrete Encased Steel; Numerical Modelling; Composite Column

1. Introduction
Concrete-encased steel columns belong to the category of composite columns employed in composite
structures. These composite columns, characterized by a structural steel section enclosed within
reinforced concrete, typically employ either rolled or built-up steel shapes. By taking advantage of
both structural steel and reinforced concrete, these composite columns exhibit substantial load-bearing
capacity and stiffness due to the synergistic composite effect. As shown in Fig. 1, Concrete Encased
Steel composite columns can be divided into two categories: Fully Encased Composite (FEC) columns
and Partially Encased Composite (PEC) columns.

Fig. 1. Different types of composite columns; [a] Fully encased; [b] Partially encased (Lai et al., 2020).

1
Department of Civil Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal, rajanbasyal8@gmail.com
2
Department of Civil Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal, mahesh.bhatt@ku.edu.np

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 The design regulations for composite structures are presently stated in various codes including
(Aisc, 2022), (ACI, 318), (Canadian Standard Association CSA, 2009), and (Eurocode-4). (Eurocode-
4) is widely used worldwide for the design of Fully Encased Composite (FEC) columns.
Till now, much research has been conducted on composite columns and found it can significantly
impact the performance of columns as (Begum et al., 2013) found that composite construction is a
more cost-effective choice for buildings exceeding 15 stories in height compared to traditional
reinforced cement concrete construction. Furthermore, (Angst et al., 2017) emphasize that
incorporating a centrally encased steel section not only enhances the axial load-carrying capacity but
also reduces the risk of local buckling in concrete columns. Apart from the steel section, the
longitudinal bars of different diameters induced in the concrete column also improve the ductility,
stiffness, energy absorption capacity, confined concrete zone, and load-carrying capacity, smaller
cross-section, and economical cost for high-rise buildings; saving the materials and construction time
(Kim et al., 2020).
In the context of tall buildings, the reinforced concrete (RC) columns located in the lower stories
are subjected to high axial forces, leading to large cross sections to meet the design code. These
enlarged columns not only amplify the inertia forces generated during seismic events but also demand
a high density of stirrups, which can pose challenges in terms of on-site fabrication. Also, the Gorkha
Earthquake, 2015 shows that buildings were greatly affected so in such a scenario steel-concrete
composite frame system can provide an effective and economic solution to most of these problems.
So, in areas prone to earthquakes, it becomes crucial to explore different ways of building structures.
One option is to use Encased Concrete columns. By studying and applying these innovative
construction techniques, we not only make buildings safer and more resilient but also contribute to the
economic and structural progress of Nepal's construction industry.

2. Methodology
2.1 Case study column for the study:
A circular column with a diameter of 338.5 mm was selected in the present study. An I section (Indian
Standard, 2007) and cruciform section were encased in concrete - because recently to improve load-
carrying capacity, new types of sections have been introduced in composite columns, such as centrally
encased cross-shaped steel columns, which helps in a thorough understanding of its behavior to ensure
its safety and reliability in practice - as shown in Fig. 2.
For the concrete-encased cruciform section composite column and the concrete-encased I-section
composite column, respectively, the steel contributions ratios are 0.236 and 0.458, which are in the
range of 0.2 to 0.9, and the longitudinal reinforcement to concrete ratio is 1.39%, which also satisfies
the range of 0.3% to 6%. These steel sections are adopted by satisfying the requirement given in the
(Eurocode-4), standard.

Fig. 2. Typical cross-section of composite column used in this study, (a) Fully encased I-section (b) Fully
encased Cruciform section.

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 For all specimens, reinforcement with a diameter of 8 mm and 16 mm were used as spiral stirrup
and longitudinal reinforcements respectively. In the present study, five columns were selected as a
sample with the different independent variables as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Different column samples for the present study

Models Diameter, mm Length, mm Steel Section Eccentricity ratio e/d Stirrup spacing, mm
C1 2000 I-section 0 to 0.5 200
C2 3000 I-section 0 to 0.5 200
C3 338.5 4000 I-section 0 to 0.5 200
C5 3000 I-section 0 200
C7 3000 Cruciform 0 200

To accurately simulate the result, the properties of the reinforcement and structural steel are taken as
the experimental data (Kartheek et al. 2020) as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Properties of reinforcement and steel section

Modulus of elasticity of Poisson s
S.N Material Yield Stress Ultimate Stress steel, Mpa Ratio
1 Rebar 500 635 200000 0.3
2 Stirrup 250 361 200000 0.3
3 Steel 250 361 200000 0.3

2.2 Numerical Analysis:

To examine the structural behavior of different column samples, a complete 3D finite element model
was developed by following the procedure as shown in Fig 3. (ABAQUS Simulia) standard/explicit
model was used to develop a nonlinear finite element model of this proposed column sample.

Fig. 3. Modeling procedure in ABAQUS/CAE

An 8-node linear brick element called C3D8R solid element was chosen to model the concrete and
enclosed steel. For the reinforcement bars inside the concrete, a T3D2 truss element was used and
placed within the concrete. To represent how the concrete and steel interact, as per (Lai et al., 2019) -
the concrete surface surrounding the steel section serves as the master surface, while the reinforcement
bars serve as slave surfaces. To track the displacement of the slave surface in reference to the master
surface, interface components are built between these two surfaces. If the two surfaces remain in
contact, a 0.25 friction coefficient allows the slave surface to move relative to the master surface is
used as shown in Fig. 4. And support condition was considered as pinned-pinned condition by
applying restraints to the reference points in the displacement in the x and z directions, while
permitting displacement in the y direction. To achieve this, the appropriate restraints were assigned to
the top end of the model so that it would behave as pinned support.
To capture the behavior of (M30) a concrete CEB model is utilized, which is suitable for concrete
with strengths up to 100 MPa (Güler et al., 2012). Moreover, the CEB model accurately represents the
sudden drop in strength observed in high-strength concrete after it reaches its peak stress, reflecting

38
the brittle nature of such concrete. We can establish the complete stress-strain relationship using
Equations 1 and 2 as given below:

(1)

for e>eo
(2)

Where,
0 is the strain corresponding to peak stress
-3
0 ,
0 0.
E0 is the secant modulus at the peak stress and Eit is the tangent modulus of elasticity depending on
concrete strength.
A model called Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) is used to simulate the properties of concrete.
According to (Han et al., 2007) recommendation, a dilation angle of = 30 was used, and default values
were used for other parameters like flow potential eccentricity (= 0.1), the ratio of biaxial to uniaxial
compressive yield stress (fb0/fc0=1.16), and the second stress invariant on the tensile to compressive
meridian for the yield function (K = 0.667). As recommended by , a viscosity
parameter of = 0.0001 was selected to avoid convergence issues.

Fig. 4. Modeling of Interaction between different parts in ABAQUS/CAE

3. Result and Discussion

3.1 Verification of Finite Element Model
Before analyzing the structural behavior of the proposed column specimen, the used software has been
validated with one of the previous experimental works (Lai et al., 2019). The ultimate load capacity of
the modeled Composite column was found to be 5488.3 kN which was closest to the experimental
results of 5178 kN The variation between the finite element analysis result and the experimental result
was about 5.9%, which was less than 10% as shown in Fig. 5.

39
 Fig. 5. Comparing the FEM result with the Test result of the Base paper.

3.2 Moment Interaction Diagram of Composite Column

The study's findings revealed that moment carrying capacity decreased by 20.65 % when increasing
the length from 2000 mm to 4000 mm which shows that when the length of the composite column
increases, the moment carrying capacity decreases, and while increasing the eccentricity ratio
moment carrying capacity is increases up to the balance point then there is significant reduction in the
moment carrying capacity as shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 6. Load Moment diagram of different column

3.3 Influence of Steel Section on the Load Displacement Response

The result from the analysis of the circular composite column encasing the I-section and Cruciform
section is shown in Fig. 7. Different steel sections are employed to explore their impact on the load-
displacement response. The result shows that the column's load-bearing capacity increases by 13.36%
when the I-section steel is replaced by a cruciform section.

Fig. 7. [a]. Load displacement response of C5 and C7; [b] Comparison of load carrying capacity.

40
3.4 Load displacement response under axial loading condition

Fig. 8. [a] Load displacement response of different columns; [b] Displacement corresponding to different
columns.

Under the same load location, three different columns were analyzed, and the result is shown in Fig. 8.
The results showed that the load capacity of circular composite columns decreased by 6.99% as their
length increased from 2000 mm to 4000 mm. Furthermore, as the length of these columns increased
from 2000 mm to 4000 mm, the displacement increased from 3.63 mm to 6.94 mm.

4. Conclusions
This study analyzed the performance of composite columns by varying lengths and steel sections using
ABAQUS software. The following conclusions were drawn from the present study.

i. The findings of the study indicate that while replacing the I-section steel by a cruciform steel
section, there is 10 % increase in the load-carrying capacity of circular composite columns.
ii. While increasing the length of the concrete-encased I-section composite columns from 2000
mm to 4000 mm, the moment carrying capacity decreased by 20.65% for the circular
composite column.
iii. While increasing the eccentricity from 0 to 0.5, the moment carrying capacity increases until
the balanced point, after which there is a significant decrease in the moment carrying capacity.
iv. The load carrying capacity of the circular composite column is decreased by 6.99 % and
increase in the displacement from 3.63 mm to 6.94 mm under the axial loading while
increasing the length from 2000 mm to 4000 mm, which shows that the stiffness of the
column decreases when the length is increased.

To accurately explore the behavior of concrete-encased steel columns, which would be helpful in
building practice, different types of steel and different cross-sections of columns can be considered in
the future. The same amount of steel area can also be taken into consideration for the composite
concrete-encased I-section and concrete-encased cruciform section columns. As a result, it would shed
light on how construction practices might be modified for efficacy and cost.

References

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A., & Buenfeld, N. (2017). The steel concrete interface. Materials and Structures/Materiaux et
Constructions, 50(2), 1 24. https://doi.org/10.1617/S11527-017-1010-1/FIGURES/13

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