Numerical investigation on seismic behavior of novel H-shaped composite columns incorporating HDCC-filled tube flanges and corrugated steel webs

This study proposes a novel composite column termed Steel Tube HDCC Flanges and Corrugated Steel Columns (STHFCCs), which synergistically integrates the advantages of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) members with the intrinsic material properties of high-ductility cement-based composite (HDCC). To systematically evaluate its seismic performance, 24 full-scale three-dimensional finite element models, including 20 STHFCCs and 4 control models, were developed in ABAQUS using nonlinear constitutive models and considering the bond behaviour between materials. Five parameters were considered: the sectional steel ratio ( α ), flange steel yield strength ( f yk ), sectional aspect ratio ( D/B ), axial compression ratio ( n ), and shear-span ratio ( λ ). The rationality of the modelling approach was validated against existing experimental data from related composite column tests. The results indicate that most models exhibited plump hysteresis curves, demonstrating the exceptional energy dissipation capacity of STHFCCs. When f yk exceeds 345 MPa, the improvement in peak load and energy dissipation capacity becomes insignificant. With the increase of α and D/B , the energy dissipation capacity is substantially enhanced, and the ultimate load increases by 113.3% and 91.26%, respectively. Conversely, an increasing λ weakens the energy dissipation capacity, with the maximum reduction in ultimate load reaching 31.30%. Moreover, brittle failure tends to occur when n ≥ 0.35. All STHFCC models suffered crushing failure at the column base, with damage concentrated at the column root. Finally, a restoring force model for STHFCCs was established and verified against the numerical simulation results.