Experimental study on axial compression properties of concrete filled steel tubular stub columns in varying ambient temperature

To better understand the mechanical property issues of in-service concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) bridges susceptible to natural environmental temperatures, 13 CFST stub columns were assessed under axial compression with different ambient temperatures and steel ratios, with the strength of the core concrete as the main parameters. The influence of ambient temperature on the peak strain and joint elastic modulus of the CFST stubs was investigated. The influence mechanism of steel content and core concrete strength on the residual toughness of the CFST at different ambient temperatures was revealed. In this study, we proposed a modified constitutive equation for CFST, taking into account the ambient temperature. We demonstrated that the peak strain, residual toughness ratio, and elastic modulus of the CFST stubs significantly decreased when the temperature decreased. The calculated values of the modified constitutive equation for CFST, taking into account the ambient temperature, were in good agreement with the test results and could be used to predict the trends in stress properties of the CFST stubs at different temperatures. The results could serve as a critical reference for the design and calculation of CFST structures in very cold regions.