Engineering Structures 187 (2019) 199–208

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Engineering Structures
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/engstruct

Bond behavior of concrete-filled steel tube columns using manufactured T

sand (MS-CFT)
⁎
Minsheng Guana, Zhichao Laib, , Qian Xiaoa, Hongbiao Dua, Kun Zhanga
a
College of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
b
College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This paper experimentally investigates the bond strength and behavior of concrete-filled steel tube columns
CFT using manufactured sand (MS-CFT). A total of 54 push-out tests on MS-CFT columns are conducted. The test
Columns parameters are: (i) type of stone that was used to manufacture the sand (i.e., limestone or pebble), (ii) steel tube
Manufactured sand diameter-to-thickness ratio, (iii) concrete compressive strength, and (iv) stone powder content. Results from the
Bond
tests indicate that: (i) MS-CFT columns have higher bond strength than CFT columns, (ii) the bond strength of
Push-out
Experimental test
MS-CFT columns increases with decreasing steel tube diameter-to-thickness ratios; (iii) MS-CFT columns using
limestone to manufacture the sand have slightly higher bond strength than those using pebble to manufacture
the sand; (iv) the influence of the concrete compressive strength on the bond strength of MS-CFT columns is not
consistent; and (v) the bond strength of MS-CFT columns is slightly influenced by the stone powder content.
Idealized bond stress-slip relationships for MS-CFT columns are also proposed. The proposed relationships
reasonably matched the experimental bond stress-slip response of the 54 MS-CFT columns.

1. Introduction mega columns in high-rise buildings, (ii) chords in long-span arch

Concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) members are typically comprised of
rectangular, square or circular steel tubes filled with concrete. These
composite members have several advantages as compared to reinforced
concrete or structural steel members. These include: (i) higher lateral
stiffness because of the presence of concrete infill; (ii) higher strength
because the concrete infill delays local buckling of the steel tube, while
the steel tube provides confinement to the concrete infill; and (iii) more
efficient construction because the steel tube serves as formwork for
casting the concrete [1].
Numerous studies have been performed to investigate the behavior
and strength of CFT members subjected to different loadings, including:
(i) monotonically applied axial tension, axial compression, bending,
shear, torsion, and their combinations, (ii) cyclically applied lateral
loads, (iii) fire loading, (iv) impact loading, and (v) blast loading.
Researchers have independently summarized these investigations, e.g.,
Nishiyama et al. [2], Hajjar et al. [3], Han et al. [4], Lai et al. [1], and
Lai and Varma [5] among others. These prior studies led to the devel-
opment of international design codes such as AIJ 2008 [6], AISC 360-16
[7], AS/NZS 2327: 2017 [8], Eurocode 4 [9], and GB 50639-2014 [10].
These design codes facilitate the use of CFT members around the
world. For example, these composite members have been used as: (i)
bridges and truss girder bridges, (iii) piles in floodwall structures, (iv)
bridge piers, (v) roof systems, and (vi) transmission towers. The ap-
plication of CFT members in these cases have been evaluated by re-
searchers such as [11–16]. These composite constructions consume
significant amount of natural (river) sand, which is typically used in the
mixture of the concrete infill. However, there are several limitations in
using river sand, which include: (i) exhausting resources, (ii) not
readily available, and (iii) negative impact on the environment because
the sand is typically removed from river beds. In these cases, it can be
more economical and environment-friendly to use manufactured sand
(MS), which is usually produced by crushing larger pieces of aggregate
(e.g., stones) into sand-sized aggregates.
For CFT columns, it is important to have adequate bond strength in
regions such as foundation supports and connections [17]. These re-
gions require adequate bond strength because externally loads are
mainly applied to the concrete infill or steel tube only. Numerous ex-
perimental studies have been carried out to investigate the bond
strength and behavior of CFT columns using river sand (referred as CFT
columns hereafter). For example, Virdi and Dowling [18] carried out
push-out tests on 76 circular CFT columns. The test parameters were: (i)
concrete age (7–47 days), (ii) concrete cube compressive strength
(22.0–41.7 MPa), (iii) ratio of the steel-concrete interface length to the

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: laiz@fzu.edu.cn (Z. Lai).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.02.054
Received 3 July 2018; Received in revised form 5 January 2019; Accepted 23 February 2019
Available online 04 March 2019
0141-0296/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
M. Guan, et al. Engineering Structures 187 (2019) 199–208

Nomenclature Su Slip at the free end corresponding to τu

S0.5 Slip at the free end corresponding to τ0.5
AI Steel-concrete interface area, see Eq. (2-2) fcu Compressive strength of concrete cubes
D Diameter of the steel tube t Thickness of the tube wall
Ec Elastic modulus of concrete α Stone powder content
Es Elastic modulus of steel τ Average bond stress
Fu Tensile strength of steel τr Residual bond stress
Fy Yield stress of steel τs Critical bond stress
L Steel-concrete interface length τu Bond strength
Pu Measured peak load τ0.5 Bond stress corresponding to slip of S0.5, see Eq. (4-4)
Pu,t Measured peak load of trial specimens τuI Bond strength of MS-CFT columns in Group I, see Fig. 8
Ps(x) Axial load of the steel tube at location x, see Eq. (1) τuII Bond strength of MS-CFT columns in Group II, see Fig. 8
S Slip at the free end τ(x) Bond stress at location x, see Eq. (1)
Sr Slip at the free end corresponding to τr

steel tube diameter (1.0–3.1), (iv) steel tube diameter-to-thickness ratio
(17.7–34.5), (v) concrete compaction (lightly or well compacted), and
(vi) steel tube interior surface condition (smooth finished, lubricated, or
as-received). The steel tube diameter-to-thickness ratios were changed
by varying both the steel tube diameter and thickness. Their tests in-
dicated that the bond strength decreased as the concrete age increased
but was not obviously influenced by the concrete compressive strength,
interface length-to-steel tube diameter ratio, or the steel tube diameter-
to-thickness ratio. The surface condition of the steel tube significantly
influenced the bond strength.
Roeder et al. [19] performed push-out tests on 20 circular CFT
columns, considering the influence of the concrete age (23–57 days),
steel tube diameter (250–650 mm), and steel tube thickness
(5.6–13.5 mm). The resulting steel tube diameter-to-thickness ratios
varied from 20.4 to 109. They concluded that the bond strength de-
creased with increasing concrete age or steel tube diameter-to-thickness
ratio.
Parsley et al. [20] carried out push-out tests on eight rectangular
CFT columns. The test parameters were (i) the use of shear tab con-
nections to apply axial loads to the steel tube and (ii) the steel tube
width-to-thickness ratio (32 or 40). The steel tube width-to-thickness
ratios were changed by varying the width of the steel tube from 20.3 to
25.4 mm while keeping the tube wall thickness constant at 6.4 mm. The
concrete age was not reported. Results from their tests showed that the
bond strength increased when the steel tube width-to-thickness ratio
was decreased or shear tabs were used. However, the beneficial effect of
shear tabs on the bond strength should not be accounted due to limited
test data.
Aly et al. [21] conducted push-out tests on six circular CFT columns.
The parameters examined were the concrete age (28–98 days) and
concrete compressive strength (40, 60 or 80 MPa). The test results in-
dicated that the bond strength decreased as the concrete compressive
strength increased. For CFT columns filled with 40 MPa concrete, in-
creasing the concrete age slightly reduced the bond strength. However,
for CFT columns filled with 60 or 80 MPa concrete, the effect of con-
crete age on the bond strength was not clear.
Tao et al. [17] performed 24 tests to investigate the effects of the
following parameters on the bond behavior of CFT columns: (i) cross-
section shape of CFT columns (rectangular or circular), (ii) cross-section
dimension of the steel tube (width or diameter, 120–600 mm), (iii) steel

Table 1
Details of specimens using sand manufactured from limestone (Group I specimens).
Specimen ID L (mm) D (mm) t (mm) D/t α Concrete grade τs (MPa) τu (MPa) S0.5 (mm) Su (mm) Pu (kN)

L-3.0-C60-3% 360 114 3.0 38.0 3% C60 1.10 2.66 0.40 6.44 324.4
L-3.5-C60-3% 360 114 3.5 32.6 3% C60 1.17 3.41 0.41 6.89 412.7
L-4.5-C60-3% 360 114 4.5 25.3 3% C60 1.45 3.85 0.46 7.00 456.9
L-3.0-C60-5% 360 114 3.0 38.0 5% C60 0.29 2.39 0.90 7.17 291.8
L-3.5-C60-5% 360 114 3.5 32.6 5% C60 1.17 3.28 0.02 6.94 396.8
L-4.5-C60-5% 360 114 4.5 25.3 5% C60 1.30 4.07 0.83 7.47 483.0
L-3.0-C60-7% 360 114 3.0 38.0 7% C60 0.45 2.53 0.10 3.01 308.6
L-3.5-C60-7% 360 114 3.5 32.6 7% C60 0.90 3.27 0.59 6.95 395.3
L-4.5-C60-7% 360 114 4.5 25.3 7% C60 1.21 4.22 0.01 4.26 501.0

L-3.0-C80-3% 360 114 3.0 38.0 3% C80 0.52 2.52 0.43 6.87 307.3
L-3.5-C80-3% 360 114 3.5 32.6 3% C80 0.62 2.98 0.59 7.13 360.2
L-4.5-C80-3% 360 114 4.5 25.3 3% C80 1.10 4.07 0.98 7.68 483.0
L-3.0-C80-5% 360 114 3.0 38.0 5% C80 0.35 2.50 1.02 15.00 305.0
L-3.5-C80-5% 360 114 3.5 32.6 5% C80 0.97 2.98 0.55 4.11 360.9
L-4.5-C80-5% 360 114 4.5 25.3 5% C80 1.44 3.82 0.57 7.11 454.0
L-3.0-C80-7% 360 114 3.0 38.0 7% C80 0.12 2.60 0.33 6.67 317.8
L-3.5-C80-7% 360 114 3.5 32.6 7% C80 0.30 3.13 0.36 9.10 378.8
L-4.5-C80-7% 360 114 4.5 25.3 7% C80 1.13 3.98 0.77 4.97 473.1

L-3.0-C100-3% 360 114 3.0 38.0 3% C100 0.60 2.57 0.50 9.25 313.9
L-3.5-C100-3% 360 114 3.5 32.6 3% C100 0.73 3.10 0.65 9.40 375.7
L-4.5-C100-3% 360 114 4.5 25.3 3% C100 1.78 4.29 0.50 14.25 509.6
L-3.0-C100-5% 360 114 3.0 38.0 5% C100 0.47 2.57 1.79 4.43 314.2
L-3.5-C100-5% 360 114 3.5 32.6 5% C100 0.71 2.90 0.68 4.24 350.5
L-4.5-C100-5% 360 114 4.5 25.3 5% C100 0.85 4.12 0.83 10.39 488.9
L-3.0-C100-7% 360 114 3.0 38.0 7% C100 0.51 2.51 0.50 9.25 307.0
L-3.5-C100-7% 360 114 3.5 32.6 7% C100 0.92 3.22 1.16 4.72 389.5
L-4.5-C100-7% 360 114 4.5 25.3 7% C100 1.14 4.07 0.90 4.99 483.3

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type (stainless or carbon), (iv) concrete type (normal, expansive con-
crete, or recycled aggregate), (v) concrete age (31–1176 days), and (vi)
steel-concrete interface type (normal, using shear studs, or using in-
ternal diaphragms). It was found that the bond strength of circular CFT
columns was higher than rectangular CFT columns when their other
details were similar. For both circular and rectangular CFT columns: (i)
the bond strength decreased as the cross-section dimension of the steel
tube (diameter or width) or concrete age increased, (ii) the bond
strength was higher when carbon steel was used, and (iii) welding in-
ternal diaphragm onto the steel tube was more effective than the other
two methods (using expansive concrete or welding shear studs) in im-
proving the bond strength. It should be noted that internal diaphragms
were typically used to increase the bearing capacity of CFT columns
instead of the bond strength.
As compared to river sand, manufactured sand is more angular due
to the crushing process. Moreover, the composition of natural and
manufactured sand may be different. Therefore, MS-CFT columns may
have different bond behavior and strength as compared to CFT col-
umns. However, there is limited research that investigates the bond
behavior of MS-CFT columns. This paper makes contributions towards
addressing the knowledge gap by conducting push-out tests on 54 MS-
CFT columns. The test parameters are: (i) the type of stone that was
used to manufacture the sand (i.e., limestone or pebble), (ii) steel tube
diameter-to-thickness ratio, (iii) concrete compressive strength, and (iv)
stone powder content. Results from the test are also used to propose
idealized bond stress-strain relationships for MS-CFT columns.
2. Experimental program
2.1. Test specimens
In this research, a total of 54 specimens were tested. These speci-
mens were categorized into two groups (Group I and II) depending on
the type of stone that was used to manufacture the sand. Group I
Specimens used sand manufactured from limestone, while Group II
specimens used sand manufactured from pebble. The test parameters
for the two groups of specimens were the same, i.e., the steel tube
diameter-to-thickness ratio (D/t), concrete compressive strength (fcu),
and stone powder content (α). The D/t ratios were varied by changing
the tube wall thickness while keeping the steel tube diameter constant.
The maximum D/t ratio (38.0) was less than the AISC 360-16 [7] re-
quirement for compact CFT sections (i.e., 0.09Es/Fy). This was to pre-
vent any possible local buckling of the steel tube before the bond
strength was developed. The stone powder content was controlled
during the manufacturing process and examined according to GB/T
14684-2011 [22]. To limit the scope of this research, the effects of other
parameters that may influence the bond behavior of MS-CFT columns
were not investigated in this research, these include: (i) steel tube
diameter, (ii) concrete age, (iii) steel tube interior surface condition
(smooth finished, lubricated, or as-received), (iv) type of the steel tube
(carbon or stainless steel), and (iv) ratio of the steel-concrete interface
length to the steel tube diameter.
Tables 1 and 2 summarize the details of the 54 specimens. The
nomenclature used in these two tables (for example, L-3.0-C60-3%)
consists of the: (i) type of stone used to manufacture the sand (for ex-
ample, “L” means limestone while “P” means pebble), (ii) steel tube
thickness (for example, “3.0” means 3.0 mm), concrete grade (for ex-
ample, “C60”), and stone powder content (for example, “3%”). The
concrete grade means the nominal 28-day cube compressive strength.
As shown in these two tables, the steel–concrete interface length and
steel tube diameter of all specimens were the same, i.e., L = 360 mm
and D = 114 mm.
All specimens used cold-formed steel tubes. Geometric imperfec-
tions of the steel tube were not measured. The steel-concrete interface
length (360 mm) was 50 mm shorter than the length of the steel tube
(410 mm). This allowed slipping between the concrete infill and steel
tube. In order to release any possible built up air pressure, a small V-
notch was cut at the bottom of the steel tube. To leave the 50-mm air
gap, the steel tube was flipped upside down, the concrete was then cast
to the desired length of 360 mm. The specimens were then cured for
28 days.

Table 2
Details of specimens using sand manufactured from pebble (Group II specimens).
Specimen ID L (mm) D (mm) t (mm) D/t α Concrete grade τs (MPa) τu (MPa) τr (MPa) S0.5 (mm) Su (mm) Sr (mm) Pu (kN)

P-3.0-C60-3% 360 114 3.0 38.0 3% C60 1.32 2.52 1.98 0.99 3.05 12.20 307.5
P-3.5-C60-3% 360 114 3.5 32.6 3% C60 1.47 3.24 2.81 0.46 1.95 10.42 392.5
P-4.5-C60-3% 360 114 4.5 25.3 3% C60 2.15 3.79 3.16 0.55 2.33 11.51 450.2
P-3.0-C60-5% 360 114 3.0 38.0 5% C60 0.97 2.34 1.80 0.69 2.60 14.00 286.4
P-3.5-C60-5% 360 114 3.5 32.6 5% C60 1.95 2.94 2.24 3.35 1.91 12.29 356.2
P-4.5-C60-5% 360 114 4.5 25.3 5% C60 2.21 3.69 3.07 0.56 2.27 11.71 437.7
P-3.0-C60-7% 360 114 3.0 38.0 7% C60 1.28 2.48 1.99 1.06 3.12 13.90 302.6
P-3.5-C60-7% 360 114 3.5 32.6 7% C60 1.57 2.91 2.36 0.72 2.76 12.33 352.2
P-4.5-C60-7% 360 114 4.5 25.3 7% C60 2.38 4.22 3.77 0.91 3.34 12.00 500.7

P-3.0-C80-3% 360 114 3.0 38.0 3% C80 1.16 2.44 2.16 0.34 2.51 12.06 297.6
P-3.5-C80-3% 360 114 3.5 32.6 3% C80 1.18 2.68 2.44 0.17 1.78 13.01 324.3
P-4.5-C80-3% 360 114 4.5 25.3 3% C80 1.61 4.02 3.50 0.96 3.43 11.85 476.8
P-3.0-C80-5% 360 114 3.0 38.0 5% C80 1.17 2.36 1.84 0.41 2.07 10.82 287.9
P-3.5-C80-5% 360 114 3.5 32.6 5% C80 1.38 2.87 2.36 0.84 3.29 12.02 347.4
P-4.5-C80-5% 360 114 4.5 25.3 5% C80 1.73 3.77 3.50 0.52 4.15 11.61 447.6
P-3.0-C80-7% 360 114 3.0 38.0 7% C80 1.35 2.37 2.06 0.86 3.11 14.98 289.6
P-3.5-C80-7% 360 114 3.5 32.6 7% C80 1.73 2.84 2.54 0.68 2.72 12.48 343.8
P-4.5-C80-7% 360 114 4.5 25.3 7% C80 2.34 3.72 3.31 1.11 4.45 13.31 441.7

P-3.0-C100-3% 360 114 3.0 38.0 3% C100 1.66 2.50 1.62 0.42 2.11 13.26 304.8
P-3.5-C100-3% 360 114 3.5 32.6 3% C100 1.68 3.09 2.39 0.69 2.92 9.07 373.5
P-4.5-C100-3% 360 114 4.5 25.3 3% C100 1.88 4.13 3.68 0.81 3.63 14.53 490.0
P-3.0-C100-5% 360 114 3.0 38.0 5% C100 1.00 2.44 1.88 0.91 3.35 11.33 297.9
P-3.5-C100-5% 360 114 3.5 32.6 5% C100 1.28 2.65 2.08 0.85 3.23 12.74 321.1
P-4.5-C100-5% 360 114 4.5 25.3 5% C100 1.65 3.87 3.17 1.08 3.83 13.11 459.7
P-3.0-C100-7% 360 114 3.0 38.0 7% C100 1.28 2.45 2.31 0.30 3.14 6.73 299.3
P-3.5-C100-7% 360 114 3.5 32.6 7% C100 1.34 3.02 2.62 1.00 2.78 11.07 365.2
P-4.5-C100-7% 360 114 4.5 25.3 7% C100 2.54 3.95 3.54 1.11 4.08 12.41 469.6

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M. Guan, et al.
2.2. Materials
Tables 3 and 4 summarize the steel and concrete properties, which
were measured in accordance with GB/T 228-2010 [23] and GB/T
50081-2010 [24], respectively. In Table 3, t, Es, Fy, and Fu is the tube
wall thickness, elastic modulus, yield stress, and tensile strength, re-
spectively. As shown in this table, the steel properties are slightly dif-
ferent for tubes with different thickness. In Table 4, Ec and fcu is the
elastic modulus and cube compressive strength of the concrete (mea-
sured at the day of testing), respectively. Table 5 summarizes the
mixture proportions of the concrete with stone powder content of 5%.
The mixture proportions of concrete with stone powder content of 3%
and 7% are similar to those shown in Table 5, with the exception of the
proportion of the stone powder. The sand was factory manufactured
according to the requirements set forth in GB/T 14684-2011 [22].
2.3. Test set-up and instrumentations
The test set-up is shown in Fig. 1. As shown, the specimen was
placed vertically with the loaded end on the top and free end on the
bottom. To allow uniform distributions of the applied load, the top end
of the concrete infill was ground smooth before testing. A 100 mm-thick
circular steel pad was placed over the concrete infill. The diameter of
the steel pad was slightly smaller than the steel tube interior diameter.
This allowed the axial load to be applied to the concrete only at the
loaded end.
Fig. 1 also illustrates the layout of the linear variable displacement
transducers (LVDTs). These three LVDTs were used to measure the re-
lative slip between the steel tube and the concrete. As shown, LVDT1
and LVDT2 were used to measure the slip at the loaded end, while
LVDT3 was used to measure the slip at the free end. Fig. 2 shows the
layout of the strain gauges. As shown, five strain gauges were used on
both the front and back sides of the steel tube to measure the axial
(longitudinal) strain along the height of the steel tube.
The tests were conducted within a week after concrete curing was
completed. Before testing, all specimens were loaded to 10 kN and then
unloaded to eliminate any initial settlement. The readings were zeroed,
and then the specimens were loaded with a load increment of 0.1Pu,t
(Pu,t is the peak load estimated from trial specimens). When the applied
load exceeded 0.5Pu,t, displacement control protocol was then used, and
the displacement increment was 0.01 mm/s.
3. Test results and discussions
3.1. Load-slip responses and failure modes
As discussed previously by several researchers [18,25], the bond of
CFT columns was resulted from three different mechanisms, i.e., che-
mical adhesion, friction, and mechanical interlocking. For CFT columns
subjected to incrementally applied interfacial shear forces, the bond
(interfacial shear) resistance is provided by these three different me-
chanisms and their combinations. This is explained as follows. Initially,
the bond resistance is contributed from the chemical adhesion and
friction, and the slip is negligible. As the increasing applied force ex-
ceeds the bond resistance provided by the chemical adhesion and
friction, adhesion between the concrete infill and steel tube is broken.
As a result, the bond resistance provided by the chemical adhesion is
lost, and slip becomes noticeable. The bond resistance provided by
friction is also reduced because the slip leads to the shearing off the
mortar [25]. The macro-interlocking then starts to contribute to the
bond resistance. As the slip increases, the bond resistance provided by
macro-interlocking is increasing, while the bond resistance provided by
friction is reducing. Therefore, the bond resistance and the post-peak
responses depend on the combining effects of increasing macro-inter-
locking and diminishing friction. If the beneficial effect from the in-
creasing macro-interlocking outweighs the diminishing friction, then
202
Engineering Structures 187 (2019) 199–208
the bond resistance will keep increasing; otherwise, the bond resistance
will reach a peak first and then decreases gradually.
For MS-CFT columns, similar bond behavior was observed in the test
conducted in this research. For example, Fig. 3(a) shows the typical
load-slip curve at the free end for Specimen L-3.5-C60-5% in Group I. As
shown, the curve is divided into stage OA, AB, and BC. The load-slip
curve entered stage AB and BC when the applied load reached 141.4 kN
and 396.8 kN, respectively. In stage OA, the bond resistance was con-
tributed from the chemical adhesion and friction, and the slip at the free
end was negligible. In stage AB, the slip at the free end became more
noticeable. This was accomplished by large sound during the tests. The
specimen lost its chemical adhesion. The bond resistance was provided
by the decreasing friction and the increasing macro-interlocking. In
stage BC, the bond strength was reached at Point B. The decreasing
friction was offset by beneficial macro-interlocking. This resulted in a
relatively flat post-peak load-slip curve for Specimen L-3.5-C60-5% (the
strength degradation was negligible).
Fig. 3(b) shows the typical load-slip curve at the free end for Spe-
cimen P-3.5-C60-5% in Group II. As shown, the curve is divided into
stage OA, AB, BC, and CD. The load-slip curve entered stage AB, BC, and
CD when the applied load reached 236.0 kN, 355.4 kN, and 271.2 kN
respectively. The load-slip behavior in stage OA and AB for Specimen P-
3.5-C60-5% is similar to that of Specimen L-3.5-C60-5%. In stage BC,
the decreasing friction outweighed the beneficial macro-interlocking.
Therefore, the post-peak slope of the load-slip curve for Specimen P-3.5-
C60-5% was negative, and the bond strength decreased with increasing
slip. In stage CD, the decreasing friction was offset by beneficial macro-
interlocking, and the resulting load-slip curve was flat.
The load-slip responses shown in Fig. 3(a) and (b) are typical for
Group I and Group II specimens, respectively. This indicates that the
load-slip response of MS-CFT columns is influenced by the type of stone
that was used to manufacture the sand. Group I specimens (which used
sand manufactured from limestone) typically have flat post-peak load
slip responses, while Group II specimens (which used sand manu-
factured from pebble) typically have negative post-peak slopes in their
load-slip responses. This is possibly because that sand manufactured
from limestone contains more fine aggregates than sand manufactured
from pebble. These fine aggregates filled voids in the concrete and re-
duced the shrinkage.
Fig. 4 shows the typical failure mode of MS-CFT columns. As shown,
the failure mode is characterized by the slip between the steel and
concrete components at the loaded end. This is similar to those for CFT
columns as observed in [25]. The test parameters do not have any
obvious effects on the failure mode. Fig. 5 compares typical load-slip
responses at the free and loaded ends for Specimen L-3.5-C60-5%. As
shown, slip occurs first at the loaded end while the slip at the free end is
negligible. The slip at the free end becomes noticeable and develops
rapidly when the applied load exceeds 141.4 kN. Finally, the slip at the
free and loaded ends match each other in the post-peak stage.
3.2. Axial strain distributions
Fig. 6 shows the typical axial strain distributions of the steel tube
along the height for Specimen L-3.5-C60-5%. In this figure, Pu is the
maximum applied load, the ordinate represents the magnitude of the
strain, and the abscissa represents the distance between the free end
and the locations where strains were measured. As shown, the
Table 3
Measured steel properties.
t (mm) Es (GPa) Fy (MPa) Fu (MPa)
3.0 185.0 331 456
3.5 185.0 331 456
4.5 181.3 302 447
M. Guan, et al. Engineering Structures 187 (2019) 199–208

N
Table 4
Measured concrete properties.
Coarse aggregate Concrete grade Ec (GPa) fcu (MPa)

Limestone C60 36.3 62.5

C80 38.7 90.7
C100 39.6 106.6
Pebble C60 37.0 69.1
C80 39.1 96.4 Steel pad
C100 40.0 116.4

LVDT1 LVDT2
distributions are significantly influenced by the load level. The strain
distributions is approximately linear in the early stage of loading (e.g.,
when the applied load is less than 0.6Pu). This indicates that the applied
force was gradually transferred to the steel tube along the height. As the Concrete
load level increased, the strain developed rapidly over the upper part of
the specimen. The effect of the load level on the strain distributions
could be explained as follows. The concrete at the loaded end dilates

360
under compression. At the loaded end, only the concrete was loaded.
When the applied load is relatively low, the concrete dilation and the Steel tube
resulting contact pressure between the concrete infill and steel tube is
negligible, and the bond resistance is provided by chemical bond and
friction along the height. When the applied load is relatively high, the
concrete dilation and the resulting contact pressure becomes noticeable
in the upper part of the specimen. The concrete dilation reduces the gap
Air gap
between the concrete infill and steel tube. This enhances the macro-
interlocking in turn. The increasing contact pressure also improves the
friction between the concrete infill and steel tube.

3.3. Bond stress distributions
According to Roeder et al. [19], the bond stress τ(x) and the axial
load of the steel tube Ps(x) at location x are related by Eq. (1). In this
equation, d is the internal diameter of the steel tube.
dPs (x )/ dx = πdτ (x )
The axial load Ps(x) is calculated from the axial stress of the steel
tube, which can be estimated from the measured axial strains assuming
the tube remains elastic. Fig. 7 shows typical bond stress distributions
along the height for Specimens L-3.5-C60-5%. Similar to the axial strain
distributions, the bond stress distributions depend on the load level.
When the load level was relatively low, the magnitude of the bond
stress remained approximately constant. As the load level increased, the
bond stress developed rapidly over the upper part of the specimen. The
bond stress at the bottommost measured point (60 mm to the free end)
was higher than the adjacent point (120 mm to the free end). This may
be caused by the pinching effect (local outward deformation at the
bottom of the steel tube) as explained by Tao et al. [25]. This local
outward deformation results in an increase of the axial strain at the
exterior surface of the steel tube at the bottom where strain gauges were
attached. It should be noted that the accuracy of the measured bond
stress can be improved by using more strain gauges along the height of
the steel tube (especially at the upper part where the bond stress de-
velops rapidly). This is recommended for future research.
3.4. Effects of test parameters on the bond strength (τu)
Similar to [17,19], the bond strength (τu) in this paper was
100 50
Bottom
steel block
LVDT3
Fig. 1. Test setup and layout of LVDTs (unit: mm).
(1)
estimated by dividing the maximum applied load (Pu) by the area of the
interface (AI) between the concrete infill and steel tube, as shown in Eq.
(2). In this equation, L is steel-concrete interface length (360 mm).
τu = Pu/ AI (2-1)
AI = πdL (2-2)
3.4.1. Effect of the stone type
Fig. 8 compares the bond strengths of specimens in Group I (which
used sand manufactured from limestone) and Group II (which used
sand manufactured from pebble). In this figure, the abscissa represents
the Specimen No. (as defined in Tables 1 and 2), τuI and τuII are the bond
strength of specimens in Group I and Group II, respectively. As shown,
Group I specimens have slightly higher strength than Group II speci-
mens. The average increase in bond strength by using limestone to
manufacture the sand is 5.4%. As explained earlier, this is possibly
because that Group I specimens contain more fine aggregates than
Group II specimens. As a result, Group I specimens have less shrinkage
because the voids in the concrete are filled by the fine aggregates.

Table 5
Concrete mixture proportions.
Concrete grade Cement Silica fume Stone powder Coarse aggregate Sand Superplasticizer Water Water-to-binder ratio

C60 1.0 0.2 0.3 2.7 1.8 0.04 0.42 0.28

C80 1.0 0.1 0.3 2.4 1.6 0.03 0.32 0.22
C100 1.0 0.1 0.3 2.3 1.6 0.03 0.29 0.20

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M. Guan, et al. Engineering Structures 187 (2019) 199–208

500
400
300

Load, kN
200 Loaded end

100 Free end

0
0 5 10 15 20
Slip, mm
Fig. 5. Typical comparisons of the load-slip responses at the loaded and free
end (Specimen L-3.5-C60-5%).

1200 0.15Pu
0.30Pu
900 0.45Pu

Strain, ȝİ
0.60Pu
600
0.75Pu
Fig. 2. Layout of strain gauges (unit: mm).
300 0.90Pu
Specimen L-3.5-C60-5% Specimen P-3.5-C60-5% 1.0Pu
500 500 0
B C 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
400 400 B
Distance to the free end, mm
300 300 C D
Load, kN

Load, kN

A Fig. 6. Typical longitudinal strain distributions of the steel tube along the
200 200 height for Specimen L-3.5-C60-5%.
A
100 100
O O
0 0
5 0.15Pu
0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 15 20
Slip, mm Slip, mm
(a) (b)
0.30Pu
4
0.45Pu
Fig. 3. Typical load-slip curve at the free end for: (a) Specimen L-3.5-C60-5%
3
IJ, MPa

and (b) Specimen P-3.5-C60-5%. 0.60Pu

2 0.75Pu
0.90Pu
1
1.0Pu
0
50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Distance to the free end, mm
Fig. 7. Typical bond stress distributions along the height for Specimen L-3.5-
C60-5%.

1.6
1.4
1.2
1
IJ u I /IJ u II

0.8
0.6
Fig. 4. Typical failure modes of MS-CFT columns. 0.4
0.2
3.4.2. Effect of the steel tube diameter-to-thickness ratio (D/t)
0
Fig. 9 shows the effect of the D/t ratios on the bond strength of MS-
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
CFT columns. The bond strength increases with decreasing D/t ratio, Specimen No.
e.g., the bond strength is 2.66 and 3.85 MPa for Specimen L-3.0-C60-3%
and L-4.5-C60-3%, respectively. In this case, the bond strength Fig. 8. Comparisons of the bond strength of Group I and Group II specimens.

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M. Guan, et al. Engineering Structures 187 (2019) 199–208

ratio (i.e., bond strengths of specimens having the same D/t ratio were
compared in the same plot, as shown in Fig. 10). Fig. 10 indicates that
the effect of concrete compressive strength on the bond strength of MS-
CFT columns is not consistent, although the effect of D/t was excluded.

3.4.4. Effect of the stone powder content (α)

Fig. 11 shows the effect of α on the bond strength of MS-CFT col-
umns. In general (with a few exceptions), the bond strength decreases
slightly (less than 15%) when α is increased from 3% to 5%, and then
increases slightly (less than 15%) when α is increased from 5% to 7%.
This is possibly because that the stone powder content influences the
shrinkage, as explained by [27]. When the stone powder content is
relatively low, increasing the stone powder content results in the in-
crease of the shrinkage. When stone powder content is relatively high,
increasing the stone powder content results in the decrease of
shrinkage.

3.5. Comparisons of the bond strength (τu) of MS-CFT columns and CFT
columns

International design codes such AISC 360-16 [7], AS/NZS 2327:

2017 [8], and Eurocode 4 [9] and provide equations to estimate the
bond strength of both rectangular and circular CFT columns. For cir-
cular CFT columns, AISC 360-16 [7] assumes that the bond strength is
the lesser of 5300 t/D2 and 1.4 MPa, based on the recommendations by
Zhang et al. [28]. However, due to the large scatter in the experimental
data, a relatively low value (i.e., 0.5) is used for the resistance factor.
For simplicity, Both AS/NZS 2327: 2017 [8] and Eurocode 4 [9] pro-
vide a constant value (i.e., 0.55 MPa) as the bond strength of circular

Fig. 9. Effect of steel tube diameter-to-thickness ratio (D/t) on the bond

strength (τu) of MS-CFT columns.

increases by 44.9% as the D/t ratio is decreased from 38.0 to 25.3. In

average, the bond strength increases by 21.9% and 60.2% when the D/t
ratio is decreased from 38.0 to 32.6, and from 38.0 to 25.3, respec-
tively. This is because specimens with thicker tube wall ratio (smaller
D/t) can provide better confinement to the concrete infill. This con-
finement increases the contact pressure and the resulting friction forces
between the concrete infill and steel tube. Moreover, thicker steel tubes
are more capable of retaining their imperfections which block concrete
slip and increase the macro-interlocking resistance (as explained ear-
lier). The observation that bond strength increases with decreasing D/t
ratio is similar to that observed by Roeder et al. [19] and Parsley et al.
[20] in their push-out tests of CFT columns. It is important to note that
the diameter of the steel tube also influenced the bond strength of CFT
columns, as pointed out in [17,19,25]. In general, the bond strength of
CFT columns decreases as the diameter of the steel tube increases. In
the current research, the D/t ratios were varied by changing the steel
tube thickness while keeping the steel tube diameter constant. Further
research is required to investigate the effect of D/t by changing the steel
tube diameter while keeping the tube thickness constant.

3.4.3. Effect of the concrete compressive strength (fcu)

Researchers such as Virdi and Dowling [18], Roeder et al. [19], and
Shakir-Khalil [26] found that the effect of fcu on the bond strength of
CFT columns is not consistent. By evaluating a database that consists of
153 tests data, Roeder et al. [19] indicated that the scattering of the test
results was associated with the variation of the bond strength in col-
umns having the same fcu but having steel tubes of different dimensions
(e.g., diameters, thickness, and length). To exclude the effects of the
steel tube on the bond strength of MS-CFT columns, the test results for Fig. 10. Effect of concrete compressive strength (fcu) on the bond strength (τu)
both Group I an II specimens were categorized according to the D/t of MS-CFT columns.

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M. Guan, et al. Engineering Structures 187 (2019) 199–208

curves have been used by other researchers [29] to predict the bond
stress-slip responses for CFT columns. Fig. 13(a) shows the idealized
relationship for MS-CFT columns that used sand manufactured from
limestone. As shown, this curve consists of a branch OA with no slip at
the free end, a nonlinear branch AB, and a plateau BC. Branch OA is
defined by Eq. (3), where τs is the critical bond stress that corresponds
to the initiation of slip at the free end. Branch AB is defined by Eq. (4),
where τu is the peak bond stress, Su is the slip at the free end that
corresponds to τu, and S0.5 is the slip at the free end that corresponds to
τ0.5 defined in Eq. (4-4).
S = 0 (0 ⩽ τ < τs ) (3)

S
τ = τs + (0 < S ⩽ Su )
aS + b (4-1)

Su − 2S0.5
a=
(τu − τs )(Su − S0.5) (4-2)

Su S0.5
b=
(τu − τs )(Su − S0.5) (4-3)

τ0.5 = 0.5(τu + τs ) (4-4)

τ = τr (Su < S ) (5)

Fig. 13(b) shows the idealized relationship for MS-CFT columns that
used sand manufactured from pebble. As shown, this curve consists of a
branch OA (defined by Eq. (3)), a nonlinear branch AB (defined by Eq.
(4)), a descending branch BC (defined by Eq. (6)), and a residual branch
Fig. 11. Effect of stone powder content (α) on the bond strength (τu) of MS-CFT CD (defined by Eq. (7)). In Eq. (6), Sr is the slip at the free end when the
columns. post-peak bond stress-slip behavior stabilized (stopped degrading sig-
nificantly), and τr is the bond stress at Sr.
CFT columns. S
To evaluate the applicability of these design codes for estimating the τ= (Su < S⩽ Sr )
cS + d (6-1)
bond strength of MS-CFT columns and to compare the bond strength of
MS-CFT columns and CFT columns, an experimental database was Su τr − Sr τu
c=
compiled in this research. This database combined the 54 MS-CFT τu τr (Su − Sr ) (6-2)
column bond tests from the current study and the 180 bond tests from
previous research (as summarized by Tao et al. [17]). Fig. 12 shows the Su Sr (τu − τr )
d=
resulting comparisons. As shown, MS-CFT columns typically have τu τr (Su − Sr ) (6-3)
higher bond strength than CFT columns with comparable t/D2 ratios.
τ = τr (Sr < S ) (7)
This is reasonable because manufactured sand has more angular shapes
than river sand due to the fabrication process. Fig. 12 also indicates that Tables 1 and 2 summarize τs, τu, τr, S0.5, Su, and Sr measured from
all three design codes conservatively estimate the strength of MS-CFT the tests. These values were used along with Eqs. (3)–(7) to predict the
columns. It should be noted that the current research only considered a bond stress-slip responses of MS-CFT columns. Fig. 14 shows the re-
limited range of the four selected parameters for MS-CFT columns. sulting comparisons. As shown, the proposed relationships can rea-
More bond tests on other MS-CFT columns (e.g., MS-CFT columns that sonably predict the bond stress-slip responses of MS-CFT columns. It
have larger steel tube diameters and higher steel tube diameter-to- should be noted that it is currently impractical to propose reliable
thickness ratios) are required to further evaluate these design codes and equations to define τs, τu, τr, S0.5, Su, and Sr because they are influenced
compare the bond strength of MS-CFT columns and CFT columns. by several other parameters. Further research on this is recommended.

4. Proposed bond stress-slip relationships

As discussed earlier, there are two types of load-slip responses for

MS-CFT columns depending on the type of stone that was used to
manufacture the sand. The load-slip responses for Group I specimens
(which used sand manufactured from limestone) typically consist of
three stages (as shown earlier in Fig. 3a), while the load-slip responses
for Group II specimens (which used sand manufactured from pebble)
typically consist of four stages (as shown earlier in Fig. 3b). The bond
stress-slip responses of MS-CFT columns are expected to be similar to
their load-slip responses since the bond stress was calculated using the
applied load (P) according to Eq. (2) by replacing Pu with P.
Therefore, the curves as shown in Fig. 13 were proposed as the
idealized bond stress-slip relationships for MS-CFT columns. In this Fig. 12. Comparisons of the bond strength of MS-CFT columns and CFT col-
figure, τ is the bond stress, and S is the slip at the free end. Similar umns.

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M. Guan, et al. Engineering Structures 187 (2019) 199–208

IJ IJ (3) The test parameters had different influence on the bond strength of
C
MS-CFT columns: (i) increasing the steel tube diameter-to-thickness
B IJu B
IJu ratio resulted in a significant increase of the bond strength; (ii)
C D
IJr using sand manufactured from limestone resulted in a slight in-
IJ 0.5 IJ 0.5 crease (5.4% in average) of the bond strength of as compared to
those using sand manufactured from pebble; (iii) the concrete
compressive strength did not have a consistent influence on the
IJs A IJs A
bond strength; (iv) the stone powder content slightly influenced
(less than 15% increase or decrease) the bond strength.
O O (4) The proposed bond stress-slip relationships reasonably matched the
S 0.5 S u S S 0.5 S u Sr S
experimental bond stress-slip behavior of MS-CFT columns, using
(a) (b)
measured values of τs, τu, τr, S0.5, Su, and Sr. Further research is
Fig. 13. Idealized relationship for MS-CFT columns: (a) using sand manu- recommended to develop equations for defining these parameters.
factured from pebble, and (b) using sand manufactured from limestone.
Acknowledgments
L-3.0-C60-3% P-3.0-C60-3%
3.0 3.0
The authors acknowledge the support of this research from the
2.5 2.5 Intellectual Innovation Program of Shenzhen Science and Technology
2.0 2.0 Innovation Committee (Grant No: JCYJ20170818142117164 and
IJ, MPa

IJ, MPa

Experiment
1.5 1.5 Experiment JCYJ20160331114415945), and from the Natural Science Foundation
Model
1.0 1.0 Model of Shenzhen University (Grant No: 2017062).
0.5 0.5
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