Hybrid FRP concrete steel double-skin tubular columns: An overview of existing research

Hybrid FRP concrete steel double-skin tubular columns (DSTCs) are a new form of hybrid columns recently proposed by the second author. The column consists of an outertube made of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) and an inner tube made of steel, with the space between filled with concrete. In this new form of hybrid columns, the three constituent materials are optimally combined to achieve several advantages not available with existing columns. This paper provides a summary of existing research on this new form of structural members, clarifying its structural behavior under axial compression, bending, and combined axial compression and bending. Test results of hybrid DSTCs are presented that demonstrate that they are very ductile under different loading conditions. A finite element (FE) model for its axial compressive behavior is also presented, which was employed in a parametric study leading to a simple stress-strain model for the confined concrete in hybrid DSTCs described in the paper. In addition, a conventional section analysis based on the plane section assumption and the fiber element approach is presented for predicting the behavior of hybrid DSTCs subjected to bending and eccentric compression. A variable confinement model that accounts for the effect of load eccentricity is adopted in this section analysis for the confined concrete, and is recommended for design use.