Seismic behavior of connections composed of CFSSTCs and steel–concrete composite beams — finite element analysis

Based on the experimental results of connections composed of concrete-filled square steel tubular columns (CFSSTCs) and steel–concrete composite beams with interior diaphragms, exterior diaphragms, or anchored studs, 3-D nonlinear finite element models were established to analyze the mechanical properties of these three types of connection using ANSYS. Finite element analyses were conducted under both monotonic loading and cyclic loading. The load–displacement and shear force–deformation curves of the finite element analyses are in agreement with those of the tests in terms of strength and unloading stiffness. Parametric analyses were conducted on the connections with exterior diaphragms under monotonic loading to investigate the influences of axial load ratio, width to thickness ratio, and dimensions of exterior diaphragms on the connection behavior. It was found that the strength and stiffness are less influenced by the axial load ratio and the dimensions of the exterior diaphragms, but more influenced by the width to thickness ratio of the steel tube under shear failure mode.