Cyclic testing of Q690 circular high-strength concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubular columns

Under seismic action, the severe damage in critical regions of structures could be ascribed to the cumulative damage caused by cyclic loading. This article describes an investigation of the hysteresis behaviour of Q690 circular high-strength concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubular columns with out-of-code diameter-to-thickness ratios. A total of eight specimens were tested under constant axial compression and cyclic lateral loading. The study results of phase I testing consisting of a benchmark test were summarized to examine the seismic behaviour under standard loading, and those of the phase II testing that considered different fatigue loading modes and different concrete strengths were summarized to investigate the low-cycle fatigue behaviour. The load-displacement hysteretic curves, energy dissipation, strength and stiffness degradation were discussed in detail. A simplified method was proposed to predict the low-cycle fatigue life, which can be applied in the damage-based seismic design of circular concrete-filled steel tubular structures.