5. Conclusions To investigate the load-carrying capacity of high-strength CES-A columns, in which corner steel angles are encased in concrete and transmit column loads directly, a numerical study was performed using a proposed analysis model. The findings of the numerical study are summarized as follows.
(1) Considering the strain compatibility, confinement effect of steel angles and transverse reinforcement, and local buckling of steel angles and longitudinal bars, nonlinear numerical analysis was performed. In the analysis, the premature spalling of concrete cover at corners and the effect of local buckling of steel angles on confinement, which are the distinctive local failure mechanisms of CES-A columns, were also taken into account.
(2) For verification, the numerical analysis results were compared with the previous experimental study results. The proposed model gave fairly good predictions for the peak load, secant stiffness at the peak load, and post-beak behavior. To investigate the effect of design parameters (strength of concrete; strength, area, and compactness of steel angles; strength, thickness, and spacing of battens; eccentricity of axial load; and slenderness by varying column length and sectional size), a parametric study was also conducted.
