Behavior of hybrid CFST with FRP-confined UHPC core under axial compression

A fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-confined concrete core that provides high strength and ductility under axial compression can act as strength enhancement in a hybrid column. In the present study, ordinary concrete was replaced with ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) to form an FRP-confined UHPC core (FCUC). The FCUC was embedded in square concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns to form a high-performance hybrid column (SCF-UHPC column for short). The axial compressive behavior of the SCF-UHPC was experimentally investigated using 12 SCF-UHPC columns and two ordinary CFST columns for comparison. The advantages of the SCF-UHPC include excellent axial load-bearing capacity, good ductility, and stable residual load-bearing capacity. The results show that failure of an SCF-UHPC column was caused by FRP rupture of FCUC, which occurred after steel tube buckling that results in the degraded stiffness. It was also shown that the load-displacement behavior of the SCF-UHPC composite column was determined by the UHPC core diameter and the corresponding confinement provided by the outer steel tube and inner FRP jacket. A hardening effect could be achieved when the confinement demand of the UHPC core was satisfied, whereas a plateau effect appeared if the confinement was insufficient. Furthermore, the load-bearing capacity and ductility of the SCF-UHPC columns improved with increased thickness of the steel tube and the FRP.