Compressive behavior and design of circular steel slag concrete‐filled stainless steel tube ( <scp>SSC</scp> ‐ <scp>FSST</scp> ) stub columns

Abstract Steel slag concrete‐filled stainless steel tube (SSC‐FSST), a novel sustainable configuration of composite columns, is developed in this study to simultaneously address durability and waste utilization challenges. It achieved an improvement of conventional concrete‐filled steel tubes, as well as the durability and aesthetic qualities of structural components through the use of industrial by‐products and corrosion‐resistant materials for sustainable development. Axial compression tests of typical specimens were conducted, with the cross‐sectional steel ratio () and the mass‐based steel slag coarse aggregate replacement ratio () as key experimental parameters. The test results indicate that circular SSC‐FSST stub columns exhibit comparable behavior and have a promising application in aggressive environmental conditions. Furthermore, specimens with higher values demonstrate improved behavior, and compared to their counterparts the SSC‐FSST specimens show an increase in bearing capacity by 1.1%–7.3%, a 4.5% improvement in composite elastic modulus, and a reduction in ultimate axial displacement ranging from 2.5% to 21.6%. A finite element (FE) model was subsequently constructed to gain deeper insights into the axial compressive behavior of circular SSC‐FSST stub columns. The simulation results, including local buckling of the outer tube, load‐deformation curves, and bearing capacity, showed reasonable agreement with the testing results. Finally, simplified formulae that can accurately compute bearing capacity of axially compressed circular SSC‐FSST stub columns were developed for design calculation.