Behaviour of stainless steel hexagonal and octagonal stub columns

• Main Author: Wong, Shawn Pi Ren
• Other Authors: Zhao Ou
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Civil engineering::Structures and design
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/167210
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This research analyzes the ultimate compressive load capacities of the hexagonal and octagonal configurations of stainless steel stub column sections. To create the two cross-sections, two plates of austenitic stainless steel 304 were press-braked and then cut to the required lengths. To determine the dimensions and geometric properties of the specimens, preliminary geometric measurements were made. Tensile coupon tests were then used to determine the material specimen characteristics. Then, stub column tests were performed on 18 specimens to examine their compressive resistances and local buckling behaviour. The compressive capacities of the stub column specimens were predicted using the existing design code, Eurocode 3, and the American Society of Civil Engineers, using the compressive strengths of the specimens from the stub column tests. The Eurocode was adequate in predicting the compressive capacities of these stub column specimens, as the design values obtained were higher than the observed design values. In contrast, the design values obtained using the American Society of Civil Engineers needed to be greater than the current code as the values obtained were not sufficiently high enough to withstand the observed ultimate load exerted on the stainless steel stub columns. Both codes could closely predict the compressive strengths of the specimens with similar degrees of accuracy.