The Stability of Corroded Circular Steel Tubes Under Axial Compression Investigated Through Testing, Finite Element Analysis and Theoretical Approaches

Abstract

Circular steel-tube members are extensively used in various large-scale steel structures. The detrimental effects of corrosion on the ultimate bearing capacities of these structures require urgent attention. This study designed six circular steel tube specimens to explore the degradation pattern of the ultimate bearing capacity of corroded circular steel tubes under axial compression; three were subjected to accelerated corrosion by electrification, and the other three were used as the control group. Following the accelerated corrosion test, both groups of specimens were subjected to material-property and axial-compression tests. These tests provided data on the bearing capacity and midspan displacement of the corroded circular steel tubes, allowing for the construction of load–displacement relationship curves. The test results demonstrate that corrosion significantly affects the bearing capacity of circular steel tubes. As the severity of the corrosion increased, the bearing capacity and stiffness of the corroded circular steel tubes progressively weakened. To simulate the behavior of circular steel tubes, a numerical model was established that provided the ultimate bearing capacity under axial compression and generated load–displacement curves. The simulation results closely aligned with the test results. This study introduced a novel approach for accurately computing the stability-bearing capacity of circular steel tubes subjected to corrosion and axial compression. Comparative analyzes with test results validated the superior performance of the proposed method in accurately predicting the ultimate bearing capacity.