Performance of Concrete-Filled Steel Tubes subjected to Eccentric Tension

Concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) members have been used in various kinds of construction projects. They can be subjected to tension when they are used as chord members in trusses or subjected to combined tension and bending in building columns. However, to date research on the behavior of CFST members under eccentric tension is still limited. This paper thus presents both experimental and numerical investigations on the eccentrically loaded CFST tensile members. The experimental parameters include the eccentricity of the load and the steel ratio of the cross section. The failure modes show that the in-filled concrete works effectively with the steel tube, and the outer tube improves the crack pattern of the concrete. The finite-element (FE) model is also developed and validated by experimental results. The validated FE model is then used to assess the load and moment distributions as well as the load-moment interaction relationship. Finally, the load-carrying capacities of CFST members under eccentric tension are discussed. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.