Testing of self-consolidating concrete-filled double skin tubular stub columns exposed to fire

A concrete-filled double skin tube (CFDST) is an innovative steel and concrete composite construction with the potential to be used as columns in high-rise buildings. Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) can offer convenience for construction and ensure the construction quality of CFDST columns. There is very limited knowledge about the fire performance of CFDST columns, which is a key issue in the application to high-rise buildings. This paper reports an experimental investigation into the fire behaviour of CFDST stub columns filled with SCC and fibre reinforced SCC. The study aims to obtain thermal and structural responses of the stub columns through standard fire testing. Details are given in terms of the failure mode, temperature distribution, critical or limiting temperature and fire resistance. It was found that the added fibre does not affect the temperature distribution whereas the increased concrete thickness and outer tube perimeter reduces the temperature in CFDST specimens. The added steel fibre increases the fire resistance of CFDST stub columns especially for load levels less than 0.6. The critical or limiting temperature for CFDST sections was found to be higher than for CFST (concrete-filled steel tube) or unfilled tubes. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.