Hybrid FRP-concrete-steel double-skin tubular structural members

Abstract

Hybrid FRP-concrete-steel double-skin tubular members (DSTMs) are a new form of hybrid structural members composed of an inner steel tube, an outer FRP tube and a concrete infill between them. The two tubes may be concentrically placed to produce a section form more suitable for columns, or eccentrically placed to produce a section form more suitable for beams. These hybrid structural members possess many important advantages over conventional structural members, including their excellent corrosion resistance as well as excellent ductility and seismic resistance. This paper explains the rationale and advantages of this new form of structural members and discusses their potential applications before presenting a summary of the recent and current studies on their structural behaviour and design. These studies form part of a major on-going research programme at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). © Tsinghua University Press, Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.