Flexural behaviour of concrete filled tubular flange girders

Abstract

In this paper, the behaviour of concrete filled tubular flange girders (CFTFGs) is investigated through both numerical and analytical modelling. These are new and complex members and their behaviour is governed by a number of inter-related parameters. This work aims to study the relative influence of a number of these variables on the flexural behaviour, particularly for CFTFGs with stiffened webs. A nonlinear three-dimensional finite element (FE) model is developed in the ABAQUS software and is validated using available experimental data. The validated model is then employed to conduct parametric studies and investigate the influence of the most salient parameters. For comparison purposes, and to observe the effect of the concrete infill, steel tubular flange girders (STFGs) with a hollow flange are also studied. The finite element models consider the effects of initial geometric imperfections, as well as other geometrical and material nonlinearities, on the response. In addition, simplified analytical expressions for the flexural capacity are proposed, and the results are compared to those from the FE analyses. It is found that CFTFGs and STFGs with the same dimensions have similar buckling shapes but different buckling loads, with the CFTFG offering greater buckling resistance. This highlights the influence of the concrete infill which increases the stiffness of the upper flange, and hence allows the member to carry additional bending moments compared to STFGs. The proposed analytical expressions, which are suitable for design, are also shown to be capable of providing an accurate depiction of the behaviour and bending moment capacity.