Eccentric Compression Performance of Cold-Formed Thin-Walled Steel-Reconstituted Bamboo Composite Columns

ABSTRACT To investigate the eccentric compression performance of cold-formed thin-walled steel-reconstituted bamboo (CTS-RB) composite columns, 14 specimens were tested under eccentric compression conditions. The parameters included section steel type, thickness of reconstituted bamboo (RB) plates, slenderness ratio, and eccentricity. The study analyzed the observed damage modes and eccentric compression performance of the specimens and investigated the bearing capacity and deformation capacity. It was indicated that the composite of RB and cold-formed thin-walled steel (CTS), connected by self-tapping screws and structural adhesive to form an integrated column, has produced acceptable results. The bearing capacity of the test specimen is influenced significantly by the eccentricity. On this basis, a finite element model is created that considers nonlinearities in material, geometry, and contact. The finite element calculations show good agreement with experimental results, with an error rate within 17 %, which validates the feasibility of using finite element methods. Moreover, the paper thoroughly examines the effects of slenderness ratio and eccentricity on the load carrying capacity of the composite column. This study presents the data fitting of the eccentricity coefficient and the slenderness ratio coefficient in the formulas of the yield and bending capacity of the composite columns, and the obtained theoretical calculations have an error of less than 16 % with the experiment, which is applicable to the prediction of the load bearing capacity of the composite columns.