Fire performance of concrete filled stainless steel tubular columns

This paper investigates the experimental behaviour of five full-scale circular and square concrete filled stainless steel tubular (CFSST) columns subjected to axial compression under standard fire test conditions. Grade S30408 (EN 1.4301 or AISI 304) austenitic stainless steel was used for the outer tubes and self-consolidating concrete for the core concrete. The test parameters include load level, sectional type and dimension. Sectional temperature distribution, axial deformation and fire resistance of the specimens were measured and reported in this paper and a finite element model was presented to further study the failure mechanisms of CFSST columns at elevated temperatures. Finally, by comparing the deformation developments and failure modes of CFSST columns with those of concrete filled steel tubular columns comprised of carbon steel, differences of fire performance between the two types of composite columns were identified.