Mechanical Behavior of Silica Fume Concrete Filled with Steel Tubular Composite Column

Abstract

Recycling or utilization of industrial waste is becoming more popular as people become more environmentally conscious. Silica fume is a by-product of the smelting process in the silicon and ferrosilicon industries. This study examines the mechanical behavior of steel tubular composite column filled with conventional concrete and silica fume concrete experimentally under axial compressive loading. For the study, variability in steel tube thickness and column height with a constant diameter are considered. To explore the influence of silica fume in concrete, microstructural analyses are carried out by SEM, XRD, and FTIR. The experimental results reveal that the use of silica fume as a replacement of cement is feasible; the silica fume concrete-filled steel tubular (SCFST) column has marginal enhancement strength capacity compared to CFST column as thickness increases.