The seismic behavior of planar frames with concrete-filled T-section columns to steel beam was experimentally and numerically studied. A finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed to investigate the engineering properties of the planar frames. Two 1:2.5 reduced-scale specimens of T-section concrete-filled steel tubular column and steel beam of single-story and single-bay plane frames were designed and fabricated based on the design principles of strong-column, weak-beam and stronger-joint. One three-dimensional entity model of the investigated frame structure was built using a large-scale nonlinear finite-element analysis software ABAQUS. Experimental results show that the axial compression ratio has no effect on the failure mode of the structure, while with the increase of axial compression ratio and the dissipated energy ability increasing, the structural ductility decreased. The results from both experiments and simulations agree with each other, which verifies the validity and accuracy of the developed finite element model. Furthermore, the developed finite element model helps to reflect the detailed stress status of the investigated frame at different time and different positions.
The details of a research study of galvanized steel tube under web crippling were presented. A total of 48 galvanized steel square hollow sections with different boundary conditions, loading conditions, bearing lengths and web slenderness were tested. The experimental scheme, failure modes, load-displacement curves and strain intensity distribution curves were also presented. The investigation was focused on the effects of loading condition, bearing length and slenderness on web crippling ultimate capacity, initial compressive stiffness and ductility of galvanized steel tube. The results show that web crippling ultimate capacity increases linearly with the increase of the bearing length under EOF and IOF loading condition. In the end-flange and ITF loading conditions, strain intensity of the centerline of web reaches the peak and decreases progressively from central web to flanges. Finite element models were developed to numerically simulate the tests in terms of failure modes and ultimate capacity. Web crippling strength of galvanized steel tube increases linearly with the increase of the ratio of the bearing length to web thickness and decrease of web slenderness. The effect of ratio of galvanized layer thickness to web thickness on web crippling strength is small. Based on the results of the parametric study, a number of calculation formulas proposed in this work can be successfully employed as a design rule for predicting web crippling ultimate capacity of galvanized steel tube under four loading and boundary conditions.