Effect of reinforcement stiffeners on square concrete-filled steel tubular columns subjected to axial compressive load

Eight stiffened square concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) stub columns with slender sections of encasing steel and two non-stiffened counterparts were tested subjected to axial compressive load. Four types of reinforcement stiffeners and steel tensile strips were introduced to postpone local buckling of steel tubes, in which the tensile strip was first used as stiffener in CFSTs. The stiffening mechanism, failure modes of concrete and steel tubes, strength and ductility of stiffened square CFSTs were also studied during the experimental research. A numerical modeling program was developed and verified against the experimental data. The program incorporates the effect of the stiffeners on postponing local buckling of the tube and the tube confinement on concrete core. Extensive parametric analysis was also conducted to examine the influencing parameters on mechanical properties of stiffened square CFSTs.