Analysis of a Thin-walled C-section Steel Encased Concrete Composite Columns under compression load

In this tutorial, the Analysis of a Thin-walled C-section Steel Encased Concrete Composite column under compression load has been investigated. Thin-walled C-section steel encased concrete composite columns represent an innovative structural system that combines the advantages of both steel and concrete materials. These columns consist of cold-formed thin-walled steel C-sections filled with concrete, creating a synergistic interaction that enhances load-bearing capacity, ductility, and fire resistance compared to either material alone. You can see a figure of the assembled parts below

Simulation Challenges

Modeling these composite columns under compression requires careful consideration of

Material nonlinearities (steel yielding, concrete crushing)

Geometric nonlinearities (local and global buckling)

Complex steel-concrete interaction (bond-slip, confinement effects)

Imperfections (geometric and material)

Contact behavior at the interface

In this example, steel plates are used as the connection between the two sides of the column. The elastic-plastic material model and ductile damage behavior are selected for all steel parts. The Concrete Damaged Plasticity for the concrete column is considered

Applications

These simulations are crucial for: Optimizing cross-section geometries, developing design guidelines, assessing failure modes, and conducting parametric studies for different material combinations. The accurate simulation of these composite columns enables engineers to fully utilize their structural potential while ensuring safety and reliability in construction applications

After the simulation, all results such as stress, strain, tension and compression damage, failure, force-displacement diagram, and others are available. You can see the figures for the results below