An Assessment of the Bearing Capacity of High-Strength-Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Columns Through Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the accuracy of analytical models for predicting the behavior of concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns via finite element analysis coupled with physical nonlinearity. The methodology involved an extensive review of experimental tests from the literature, numerical modeling of columns with different configurations, and a comparison of the results obtained with available experimental data. Several characteristics were evaluated, such as the load capacity, confinement factor, and relative slenderness. The numerical model agreed well with the experimental results, with a less than 10% relative error. The results indicated that analytical models of the Chinese (GB 50936) and European (EC4) codes overestimated some load capacity values (up to 14.9% and 8.7%, respectively). In comparison, the American (AISC 360) and Brazilian (NBR 8800) standards underestimated the ultimate loads (23.3% and 31.6%, respectively). An approach coefficient β is proposed, contributing to safer and more efficient design practices in structural engineering.