Steel reinforced concrete columns using high strength grades

This Master’s thesis aims to adjust the EN 1994-1-1 Simplified Method to allow the use of high-strength materials for fully and partially encased sections. Four analytical design methods, using plastic stress blocks, were chosen from the literature and adapted to authorize the use of high-performance materials for concrete and steel grades up to C120 and S600, respectively. A FEM 2D-model was developed and calibrated according to experimental tests found in open literature. This numerical model served as a basis to compare the studied methods. A sensitive study was performed and analyzed the different analytical methods for fully and partially encased sections along strong axis. This investigation proves that an easy-to-use method can be adopted in the design of composite column considering high-strength materials.