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Bond strength of concrete plugs embedded in tubular steel piles under cyclic
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Article  in  Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering · February 2011

DOI: 10.1139/l05-091

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 111

Bond strength of concrete plugs embedded in

tubular steel piles under cyclic loading
Abolghasem Nezamian, Riadh Al-Mahaidi, and Paul Grundy

Abstract: Investigation of the load transfer of concrete plugs to tubular steel piles subjected to tension and compres-
sion and cyclic loading has been conducted at Monash University over the past 3 years. The work presented in this pa-
per reports on the results of the combination of pull-out, push-out, and cyclic loading tests carried out on 15 steel tube
specimens filled partially with reinforced concrete with variable lengths of embedment. The pull-out force was applied
through steel reinforcing bars embedded in the concrete plug, and push-out forces were applied through a thick top cir-
cular plate on the top of the concrete plug. Test results included the cyclic loading, ultimate pull-out and push-out
forces, slip of concrete plugs, and longitudinal and hoop strains along the piles for some specimens. The tests clearly
showed that average bond strength significantly exceeds expectations and is higher than the results of previous investi-
gations using plugs without reinforcement. The test results also indicated that cyclic loading tests reduced the bond
strength due to the accumulation of damage to the plug–pile interface. The push-out and pull-out tests conducted under
symmetric cyclic loading demonstrated that slip between the concrete plug and the steel tube increased with repeated
loading, and the rate of slip growth increased with an increase in the peak load.
Key words: tubular steel pile, reinforced concrete plug, bond, cyclic loading.

Résumé : Le transfert de charge des bouchons de béton aux pieux tubulaires en acier soumis à des charges de tension,
de compression et cycliques a été étudié à l’Université Monash au cours des trois dernières années. Le travail présenté
dans cet article examine les résultats de la combinaison des essais d’arrachement, de contrainte par expulsion et de
chargement cyclique effectués sur 15 tubes d’acier partiellement remplis de béton armé dont les longueurs d’encastre-
ment varient. La force d’arrachement a été appliquée à des tiges d’armature en acier encastrées dans le bouchon de bé-
ton, et les contraintes par expulsion ont été appliquées sur une plaque circulaire épaisse reposant sur le bouchon de
béton. Les résultats des essais comprennent le chargement cyclique, les forces limites d’arrachement et d’expulsion, le
glissement des bouchons de béton et les contraintes longitudinales et circonférentielles le long les pieux pour certains
échantillons. Les essais montrent clairement que la résistance moyenne du lien dépasse de manière significative les at-
tentes et elle est supérieure aux résultats des études antérieures utilizant des bouchons sans renforcement. Les résultats
d’essais montrent également que les essais de chargement cyclique ont réduit la résistance du lien en raison de l’accu-
mulation de dommages à l’interface bouchon–pieu. Les essais de contrainte par expulsion et d’arrachements effectués
sous des chargements cycliques symétriques ont démontré que le glissement entre le bouchon de béton et le tube en
acier augmente avec la répétition des charges et que le taux de glissement augmente avec la charge de pointe.
Mots clés : pieux tubulaires en acier, bouchon de béton armé, lien, charge cyclique.
[Traduit par la Rédaction] Nezamian et al. 125

Introduction tance of the embedded concrete plug to slip is due to the

steel–concrete bond stress along the plug length (see Fig. 1).
The legs of platforms of many offshore and coastal struc- In recent years, many investigations have resulted in anal-
tures are usually founded on tubular steel piles through rein- ysis and design rules for concrete-filled steel columns based
forced concrete pile caps. Wave, wind, and earthquake loads on experimental models of steel tubes filled with plain con-
tend to induce compressive and uplift forces in the legs that crete and tested in compression. The composite action in
in turn subject the piles to cyclic compression and tension such columns is due to the bond strength and mechanical in-
loading. This transfer of forces takes place through a con- terlock. Investigations have shown that these mechanisms
crete “plug” embedded in the top of the steel pile. The resis- depend on the surface roughness of the steel tube and the

Received 19 May 2004. Revision accepted 12 September 2005. Published on the NRC Research Press Web site at http://cjce.nrc.ca
on 11 February 2006.
A. Nezamian.1 School of Civil and Chemical Engineering, RMIT University, City Campus, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
R. Al-Mahaidi and P. Grundy. Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC 3800,
Australia.
Written discussion of this article is welcomed and will be received by the Editor until 30 June 2006.
1
Corresponding author (e-mail: [email protected]).
Can. J. Civ. Eng. 33: 111–125 (2006) doi:10.1139/L05-091 © 2006 NRC Canada
112 Can. J. Civ. Eng. Vol. 33, 2006

Fig. 1. Typical connection between a steel pile and a concrete pile cap. RL, reduced level.
Reinforcing
bars

Reinforcing bars

R10 rings Bottom of 30 RL

Dolphin
SECTION A - A 175 Pour concrete
with cap
mm
A

plug

300
rete
Conc
A

RL

Face of
mooring
dolphin

e 1:3

Rak
e 1:3
Rak
shape variation of the cross section of the steel tube. Values filled tube (CFT) members indicated that the maximum av-
of bond strength reported in the literature varied from 0.2 to erage bond stress capacity is somewhat smaller with longer
1.0 MPa. In contrast, a literature search has revealed that no column lengths and larger diameter to thickness (D/t) ratios
investigations have been carried out on steel tubes filled and diameters due to the lack of the stiffness to enforce the
with reinforced concrete. benefits of irregularity in the cross section.
The earliest experimental study of the bond strength of Test results from the aforementioned studies showed that
concrete-filled steel tubes was carried out by Virdi and the average bond stress for rectangular tubes was approxi-
Dowling (1975). A number of parameters were varied to mately 70% smaller than that for circular tubes and indi-
study their effects on the bond strength between concrete cated that the influences of the steel tube aspect ratio (D/t)
and steel. It was concluded that the resistance to the push- and the ratio of concrete core length to depth (L/D) on the
out test in filled tubes derives primarily from the interlock- bond strength are not completely understood.
ing of concrete in two types of imperfections in steel. The The bond resistance of reinforced concrete plugs embed-
first relates to the surface roughness of the steel, and the sec- ded in tubular steel piles under pull-out and push-out load-
ond to variation in the shape of the cross section, away from ings has been investigated by Nezamian et al. (2001, 2003,
the ideal cylindrical surface. The interlocking of concrete in 2002) and Al-Mahaidi et al. (1999). The pull-out bond
the surface roughness of steel (i.e., micro-locking) contrib- strength tested in specimens having a concrete plug
utes a useful component of the ultimate bond strength embedment length to tube inner diameter ratio of L/Di = 1
related to the initially stiff region of the load deflection char- ranged from 4.3 to 6.2 MPa. It was not possible to determine
acteristics. Virdi and Dowling proposed the bond strength of the pull-out bond strength for specimens with L/Di > 1 due
1 MPa for design. An extensive investigation of the push-out to yielding and rupture of the embedded steel bars, which
strength of concrete-filled tubular members was undertaken preceded the development of full bond strength. The push-
by Shakir-Khalil (1991, 1993a, 1993b). The main parame- out strength of reinforced concrete plugs embedded in tubu-
ters studied were the shape of the tube, interface length, in- lar steel piles revealed capacities higher than those reported
terface condition, and use of mechanical connectors. It was by others. This was attributed, in part, to the presence of re-
also noted that, in agreement with Virdi and Dowling, speci- inforcement in the plug and smaller concrete plug
men length was not a significant factor in the bond strength. embedment length to tube inner diameter L/Di compared
Further, it was shown that the circular hollow section (CHS) with the other reported investigations. Bond strengths of
tube had a superior load-carrying capacity compared with from 2.0 to 7.3 MPa were achieved.
the rectangular hollow section (RHS) tube. The resistance of
the circular section is enhanced due to the much stiffer con- Current code provisions
finement of the concrete during slip as it rides over the aspe-
rities and irregularities of profile of the steel tube. A bond The provisions of British Standard BS5400, Steel, con-
strength of 0.4 MPa was proposed for design purposes. The crete and composite bridges (BSI 1979), recommend that
test results and analytical study of Roeder et al. (1999) in an shear connectors be provided where the shear stresses at the
examination of the bond stress capacity of circular concrete- steel–concrete interface, due to the design ultimate loads, ex-

© 2006 NRC Canada

Nezamian et al. 113

ceed 0.4 MPa for concrete-filled steel sections. According to Fig. 2. Typical test specimen.
Eurocode 4 (ECS 1994), the design shear strength due to

50 mm
6 mm round bars
bond and friction for a concrete-filled hollow section should Ring Reinforcements
be taken as 0.4 MPa.
Both codes recommend the same value for bond–shear

Variable Concrete Embedment

strength between concrete and steel regardless of concrete Concrete

Length
properties, length of concrete embedment, shape of steel 40 MPa Compressive Strength

600 mm
hollow section, roughness of internal surface, and loading
regime.

Experimental program for cyclic tests

A total of 15 specimens were constructed and tested for
the purpose of investigating the effect of cyclic loading on
the bond strength of concrete plugs embedded in tubular
40 mm
steel piles. Only one circular steel tube size and concrete 6 24 mm deformed bars
strength were used. The structural steel tube of grade 250
with nominal yield strength of 250 MPa and ultimate tensile
strength of 350 MPa was used (SAA 1983). The steel tubes
244 mm OD Steel Tube
had an outside average diameter Di of 237 mm and an aver- 11 mm Thickness
age wall thickness of 11.5 mm. The steel tubes were cut to a
6 mm plain bars
length of 600 mm. The inner surfaces of the steel tubes were Ring Reinforcements
scrubbed with a wire brush to remove any excess corrosion,
dirt, or other material. The formwork was fabricated and
placed at the bottom of the specimens considering the differ- 8500 controller, which allowed load and displacement con-
ent depths of concrete plugs. The specified reinforcing cages trol and had programmable trapezoidal control waveforms,
were placed in the specimens and tack welded in position to which were utilized for the cyclic loading tests, controlled
ensure the cage would not move during pouring of the con- the actuator. Displacement control was used for the pull-out
crete. The reinforcing bars in all specimens consisted of six and push-out tests, and load control (with displacement limit
Y24 bars (24 mm diameter deformed bar with nominal yield set) was used for all cyclic tests.
strength of 400 MPa). The reinforcement was 5% of the The monotonic tests (pull out and push out) were con-
gross area of the concrete plug based on the threaded area of ducted at a displacement rate of 0.015 mm/s. The time taken
the bars (Fig. 2). to reach the peak load was varied in the order of 5–10 min.
One cubic metre of 32 MPa concrete with a slump of 80– The cyclic tests were conducted with a symmetric triangu-
100 mm was ordered to manufacture the specimens. General lar cyclic loading with no holding time at the peak load.
purpose (GP) Portland cement was used (SAA 1997), with a Wind and wave loading can be simulated using this load
water to cement ratio of 0.5 and cement to aggregate ratio of protocol. For every cyclic test, the loading was repeated for
1/7. This was in accordance with SAA (1993). The maxi- a predetermined number of cycles, with data continuously
mum aggregate size was limited to 20 mm. The result of the recorded. The load range was then increased, and the new
slump test on the concrete batch on arrival revealed a slump loading was repeated, usually for the same number of cycles.
of 100 mm, and cylinder compressive strength test results in- For the cyclic tests, the load versus time function was trian-
dicated 40 MPa at an age of 38 days. The concrete was care- gular. A typical function is shown in Fig. 4.
fully placed and then vibrated into each specimen to ensure The type of tests on each specimen and the loading rates
satisfactory compaction. The specifications of the con- and number of cycles per load range are summarized in Ta-
structed specimens are summarized in Table 1. bles 2 and 3.
The top surface was prepared with plaster to provide a A string linear variable displacement transducer (LVDT)
level surface and ensure even distribution of the compressive was used to measure the relative movement (slip) between
forces. The supporting timber formwork was removed, and the concrete core and the steel tube. Most of the test speci-
the base plates were then welded to each sample. This pro- mens were strain-gauged along the outer surface of the steel
cess involved placing the samples in the test rig to ensure the tube within the length of the concrete plug. Both longitudi-
reinforcement bars were correctly aligned with the testing nal and hoop direction gauges were used. The purpose of
rig. The base plate was then tack welded, removed from the these gauges was to determine from the axial stress in the
rig, and then fully welded with three passes. steel tube the distribution of shear stress along the contact
As shown in Fig. 3, the loads were applied through a thick area. Additional strain gauges were used on the opposite
circular steel plate placed on the concrete surface of the plug side of the tubes to establish whether the loading arrange-
and bolted to the reinforcing bars. An Instron servo-controlled ment introduced significant eccentricity in the specimen.
actuator of 1000 kN dynamic capacity and 1250 kN static ca- Strain gauge arrangements are shown in Fig. 5.
pacity was used to load the specimens on pull-out, push-out, It was decided to investigate the effect of cyclic loadings
and cycling loading tests. This gave a comfortable margin of on bond strength in two stages of experimental work. The
capacity over the anticipated ultimate pull-out force of first stage focused on determination of the effect of the ini-
1000 kN (to prevent the failure of threaded bars). An Instron tial cyclic loading on the ultimate pull-out strength. The sec-

© 2006 NRC Canada

114 Can. J. Civ. Eng. Vol. 33, 2006

Table 1. Specifications of constructed specimens.

Specimen Tube length, Tube internal Tube wall Concrete plug
No. Lp (mm) diameter, Di (mm) thickness, t (mm) length, Lconc (mm) Lconc/Di Di/t
S1.0D-1 600 222 11 222 1.00 20.2
S1.0D-2 600 222 11 222 1.00 20.2
S1.0D-3 600 222 11 222 1.00 20.2
S1.25D-1 600 222 11 278 1.25 20.2
S1.25D-2 600 222 11 278 1.25 20.2
S1.25D-3 600 222 11 278 1.25 20.2
S1.5D-1 600 222 11 333 1.50 20.2
S1.5D-2 600 222 11 333 1.50 20.2
S1.5D-3 600 222 11 333 1.50 20.2
S1.75D-1 600 222 11 389 1.75 20.2
S1.75D-2 600 222 11 389 1.75 20.2
S1.75D-3 600 222 11 389 1.75 20.2
S2.0D-1 600 218 13 444 2.00 16.8
S2.0D-2 600 218 13 444 2.00 16.8
S2.0D-3 600 218 13 444 2.00 16.8

Fig. 3. Cyclic loading test arrangements. LVDT, linear variable displacement transducer.
Load from the load cell Instron servo-controlled actuator
LVDT Load Cell

Support stand

Concrete plug in steel tube

Strong Floor

Fig. 4. Typical load (force) versus time function for specimen The magnitude of the cyclic load was decided based on ap-
S1.0D-2. proximately 0.25 and 0.40 of the static ultimate strength of
250 the specimens at 2 mm slip. This was followed by mono-
200 tonic pull-out tests. A total of six successful tests were
150 conducted, including two monotonic tests to determine the
100
F orce ( kN)

50 pull-out strength of the concrete plug and four pull-out tests

0 with initial symmetric cyclic loadings. Table 2 lists the peak
-50 loads achieved and corresponding average bond strengths.
-100
-150 The slip values at peak load, initial type of cyclic loading
-200 test, and age of the concrete on the test date are also tabu-
-250
lated. Average bond strength was calculated by dividing the
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
ultimate pull-out or push-out forces by the contact area of
Time (s)
steel–concrete.
Specimen S1.0D-1 failed at an ultimate pull-out strength
ond stage was aimed mainly at studying failure of the
of 665 kN, followed by a push-out test, which resulted in an
specimens subjected to cyclic loadings. Determination of the
ultimate push-out capacity of 525 kN. Specimen S1.5D-1
effect of shrinkage on bond strength is also explored in this
achieved a pull-out strength of 1000 kN at a slip of 1.7 mm.
set of experiments.
This was followed by a push-out test, which resulted in an
ultimate push-out capacity of 1000 kN at a slip of 1.5 mm.
Test results of stage 1
Specimens S1.0D-2 and S1.0D-3 were then initially sub-
The aim of stage 1 was to evaluate the effect of initial cy- jected to 10 symmetric cycles of ±150 kN followed by
clic loading on ultimate pull-out strength. Three specimens another 10 symmetric cycles of ±250 in tension and com-
each of two different concrete plug lengths (1.0D and 1.5D) pression. This was followed by pull-out tests, which resulted
were tested. The first specimen of each plug length group in ultimate loads of 711 and 405 kN for specimens S1.0D-2
was tested for static tension capacity to enable the assess- and S1.0D-3, respectively. Specimen S1.5D-2 was initially
ment of cyclic load effects. This was followed by a push-out subjected to 10 symmetric cycles of ±250 kN. This was fol-
test. The other two specimens were then initially subjected lowed by a pull-out test, which resulted in an ultimate load
to two sets of 10 cycles of 150 and 250 kN for series S1.0D of 500 kN. Specimen S1.5D-3 was initially subjected to 10
specimens and 250 and 400 kN for series S1.5D specimens. symmetric cycles of ±250 kN followed by another 10 sym-
© 2006 NRC Canada
Nezamian et al. 115

Table 2. Summary of the tests conducted in stage 1.

Specimen Max. load Hold time Avg. bond Max. slip Cycle time No. of Concrete
No. Type of test (kN) (min) strength (MPa) (mm) (min) cycles age (days)
S1.0D-1 Pull out 665 15 4.20 2.3 — — 32
Push out 525 19 3.31 7.5 — — 32
S1.0D-2 Cyclic loading 150 40 0.94 0.6 4 10 26
Cyclic loading 250 40 1.58 1.0 4 10 26
Pull out 711 24 4.49 12.2 — — 26
S1.0D-3 Cyclic loading 150 40 0.94 0.2 4 10 26
Cyclic loading 250 40 1.58 0.7 4 10 26
Pull out 410 39 2.59 11.7 — — 26
S1.5D-1 Pull outa 1000 17 4.30 1.7 — — 29
Push outa 1000 18 4.30 1.5 — — 29
S1.5D-2 Cyclic loading 230 40 0.99 0.2 4 10 28
Pull out 500 8 2.15 1.8 — — 28
Push out 400 24 1.72 6.8 — — 28
S1.5D-3 Cyclic loading 230 40 0.99 0.1 4 10 28
Cyclic loading 400 40 1.72 2.4 4 10 28
Pull out 404 39 1.74 9.2 — — 28
a
The maximum load was limited by the capacity of the loading system and does not correspond to ultimate strength response.

metric cycles of ±400 kN. The specimen failed at the end of procedure stopped at 1000 kN, as the specimen reached the
the cyclic loading test. limitation of the test instrumentation. The load–slip of the
Average bond strengths of 4.3 MPa were achieved for specimen in push out shows gradual reversal slip to a load
static pull-out tests and 2.8 MPa for pull-out tests with a cy- level of 300 kN. This is attributed to the reversal of perma-
clic loading effect. The test results indicated that pre-cyclic nent slip created by the prior pull-out test. The specimen
loading tests reduced the bond strength due to the prior dam- then reached a load level of 1000 kN at a slip of 1.0 mm.
age to the plug–pile interface. Specimen S1.5D-2 exhibited a typical load–slip response in
tension after initial cyclic loading. It was characterized by a
gradual decrease in load transfer as slip increased after peak-
Load–slip response
ing at a slip of 1.0 mm.
Figure 6 shows the load–slip response of specimen series
Specimen S1.5D-3 failed at the end of the second 10 cy-
S1.0D and S1.5D. In pull out, specimen S1.0D-1 exhibited a
cles. The load–slip response of the specimen indicates that
decay in shear–bond load as slip increased after peaking at a
the initial cyclic loading reduced the ultimate strength of the
slip of 1.0–1.5 mm. This is the expected result associated
specimen to the level of the second cyclic load of 400 kN.
with a plug in a properly circular straight pile. In push out,
This was due to the significant damage to the plug–pile in-
the specimen exhibited some slip at an initial load of
terface. The post-failure response shows an almost constant
300 kN. This is attributed to reversal of permanent slip cre-
shear transfer in the pull-out test after cyclic loading. This
ated by the prior pull-out test. The initial slip of 2.0 mm is
behaviour continued until the slip values reached 9.2 mm.
believed to be recovery of permanent pull-out slip. The spec-
imen then exhibited a gradual increase in load transfer as The load–slip response of the specimens indicated that the
slip increased after reaching an applied load of 450 kN at a load–slip curves of the pull-out test with a cyclic effect are
slip of 1.0 mm. A possible explanation for this is that the similar to those obtained for monotonic static tests. The
initial pull-out test prestressed the interface. Macro interlock shifting between these two curves in the ordinate load axis is
effects are then created when the slip becomes significant. due to the different cyclic loading rate and concrete plug
These caused an increase in the contact stress between the length. The effects of cycling rate and the cyclic reduction
steel tube and concrete plug, which increases the frictional factor are discussed in the following sections.
resistance. Specimens S1.0D-2 and S1.0D-3 exhibited a typ-
ical load–slip response in tension after initial cyclic loading Test results of stage 2
characterized by a gradual decrease in load transfer as slip
increased after peaking at a slip of 1.0 mm. The load–slip of Previous test results (Nezamian et al. 2001, 2002) indi-
specimen S1.0D-2 indicates that the initial cyclic loading cated that the ultimate push-out strength of the specimen is
may not have a significant effect on the load–slip behaviour most likely less than the ultimate pull-out strength. Stage 2
and the pull-out strength of the specimen. On the contrary, of the experimental work was then planned to evaluate the
the load–slip response of specimen S1.0D-3 shows that the failure of the specimens, subjected to cyclic loading based
initial cyclic loading reduced the interface stiffness and on the ultimate push-out strength of the specimen. Three
shear transfer between the concrete and the steel tube. This specimens each of three different concrete plug lengths
was due to the prior damage to the plug–pile interface. (1.25D, 1.75D, and 2.0D) were then tested. The first speci-
As can be seen in Fig. 6, the load–slip response of speci- men of each plug length group was tested for static compres-
men S1.5D-1 shows typical behaviour in the pull-out test sion capacity to enable the assessment of cyclic load effects,
with a peak load of 1000 kN at a slip of 1.7 mm. The test which were often followed by pull-out tests. The other two
© 2006 NRC Canada
116 Can. J. Civ. Eng. Vol. 33, 2006

Table 3. Summary of the tests conducted in stage 2.

Specimen Max. Hold time Avg. bond Max. slip Cycle time No. of Concrete
No. Type of test load (kN) (min) strength (MPa) (mm) (min) cycles age (days)
S1.25D-1 Push out 443 51 2.29 2.75 — — 403
Pull out 460 36 2.38 24.50 — — 403
S1.25D-2 Cyclic loading 260 20 1.34 1.05 2 10 404
Cyclic loading 310 20 1.60 7.95 4 5 404
Pull out 439 20 2.27 24.10 — — 404
S1.25D-3 Cyclic loading 245 7 1.26 8.02 4 1.75 409
Pull out 540 12 2.79 20.90 — — 409
S1.75D-1 Push out 395 7 1.45 7.48 — — 410
Pull out 330 12 1.21 12.00 — — 410
S1.75D-2 Cyclic loading 100 20 0.37 0.12 4 5 716
Cyclic loading 125 20 0.46 0.17 4 5 716
Cyclic loading 150 20 0.55 0.23 4 5 716
Cyclic loading 175 20 0.65 0.30 4 5 716
Cyclic loading 200 20 0.74 0.37 4 5 716
Cyclic loading 225 20 0.83 0.56 4 5 716
Cyclic loading 250 20 0.93 0.84 4 5 716
Cyclic loading 275 20 1.01 1.67 4 5 716
Cyclic loading 300 16 1.11 14.80 4 4 716
S1.75D-3 Pull out 431 9 1.59 1.37 — — 717
Cyclic loading 150 20 0.55 0.03 4 5 717
Cyclic loading 200 20 0.74 2.16 4 5 717
Cyclic loading 225 20 0.83 7.72 4 5 717
Cyclic loading 250 14 0.93 18.60 4 3.50 717
S2.0D-1 Push outa 1000 60 3.29 1.89 — — 703
Pull outa 1000 40 3.29 1.24 — — 703
Cyclic loading 500 44 1.64 1.75 4 11 703
Cyclic loading 550 40 1.81 2.95 4 7 703
Cyclic loading 600 5 1.97 2.97 4 1.25 703
Cyclic loading 600 5 1.97 3.25 4 1.25 703
Cyclic loading 600 30 1.97 16.00 4 7.25 703
S2.0D-2 Pull out 479 2 1.57 16.70 — — 710
S2.0D-3 Cyclic loading 200 20 0.66 0.54 4 5 713
Cyclic loading 250 20 0.82 1.43 4 5 713
Cyclic loading 300 20 0.99 2.97 4 5 713
Cyclic loading 350 5 1.15 30.80 4 1 713
a
The maximum load was limited by the capacity of the loading system and does not correspond to ultimate strength response.

specimens were initially subjected to a variety of different with an average of 2.3 MPa for seven pull-out tests. The
cyclic loadings. This was followed by monotonic pull-out push-out bond strength varied between 3.3 and 0.9 MPa,
tests. It was decided that the magnitude of cyclic loading with an average of 2.3 MPa for three push-out tests. The cy-
would start from 0.6 of the ultimate strength of the specimen clic bond strength varied between 2.0 and 0.9 MPa, with an
and would then be reduced to 0.3 of the ultimate strength average of 1.3 MPa for six cyclic loading tests. The test re-
due to early failure of specimens S1.25D-1 and S1.25D-2. sults indicated that cyclic bond strength is lower than ulti-
This stage of the experiment took place about 2 years after mate static pull-out or push-out bond strengths. This is due
construction of the specimens. Therefore, determination of to the incremental damage to the plug–pile interface. The
the effect of shrinkage on bond strength of concrete plugs shrinkage cracks were observed at the concrete–steel inter-
can also be evaluated with this set of test data. A total of 12 face in most of the specimens prior to testing. It is then con-
successful tests were conducted, including three monotonic cluded that shrinkage can be very detrimental to bond stress
tests to determine the push-out strength of the concrete plug, capacity and reduces the bond strength with time.
six tests with symmetric cyclic loading of the specimens,
and three tests with extra pull-out tests to evaluate the effect Load–slip response
of cyclic loading. Table 3 lists the peak loads achieved and Figures 7, 8, and 9 show the load–slip response of speci-
corresponding average bond strengths. The slip values at men series S1.25D, S1.75D, and S2.0D, respectively. In
peak load, initial type of cyclic loading test, and age of con- static push-out tests, specimen S1.25D-1 exhibited a decay
crete on the date of the test are also tabulated. shear transfer after peaking at a slip of 1.0–1.5 mm. This is
A total of 35 tests were carried out on nine specimens. the expected result associated with a plug in a properly cir-
The pull-out bond strength varied between 3.3 and 1.2 MPa, cular straight pile. This fretting of the cement matrix on the
© 2006 NRC Canada
Nezamian et al. 117

Fig. 5. Strain gauge arrangements. All measurements in millimetres.

2x1 longitudinal gauge 2x1 longitudinal gauge 2x1 longitudinal gauge
One each side One each side One each side
One longitudinal gauge One longitudinal gauge One longitudinal gauge
One transverse gauge One transverse gauge One transverse gauge

37.5
40 40 40 40 30

60 30
Concrete Plug

Concrete Plug

Concrete Plug
50 40 40 40 40 40 40
222

277.5
75
A A

333
75
A A

32

60
A A
600

600

600

50
33
Specimen

Specimen

Specimen
Steel Tube

Steel Tube

Steel Tube

S1.25D
S1.0D

S1.5D
2x1 longitudinal gauge
One each side
One longitudinal gauge One longitudinal gauge
One transverse gauge One transverse gauge SECTION A-A
50 40 40 40 40 68.5 40 40 40 40

50 40 40 40 40 40 44 40 40 40 40 40

120°
Concrete Plug

Concrete Plug

120
Steel Tube

Steel Tube
°
388.5

444
600

600

A A
50

A A
Specimen

50
S1.75D

2x1 longitudinal gauge

One each side
Specimen
S2.0D

steel surface has a powdering effect, removing the interlock increased. The load–slip response of specimen S1.75D-1
with asperities on the steel surface and lowering the effec- shows that the push-out load dipped after an early peak at
tive coefficient of friction. In the following pull-out test, the about 2 mm slip but then recovered, indicating some macro
specimen experienced a reversal slip at a load level of effects discussed previously. In the pull-out test that fol-
300 kN. The slip is believed to be a recovery of permanent lowed, the plug locked into the steel tube with no reversal
push-out slip. The specimen then showed a gradual increase slip before peaking at a pull-out load of 330 kN. The shear
in load transfer as slip increased. This is due to the initial transfer then dipped down but recovered partially after re-
push-out test, which consolidated the concrete in the steel versal of the permanent push-out slip. The locking of the
tube. Macro interlock effects were then created when the plug was due to a mechanical interlock mechanism. Speci-
slip became significant. These raised the contact stress be- mens S1.75D-2, S1.75-D3, and S2.0D-3 exhibited pinched
tween the steel tube and the concrete plug, which increased hysteretic behaviour and completely failed in the cyclic
the friction resistance. loading.
Specimen S1.25D-2 reached its ultimate strength at the The push-out load–slip curve of specimen S2.0D-1 exhib-
end of initial symmetric cyclic loading of ±310 kN. The ited a nearly bilinear response prior to peak load (set limita-
specimen then showed a smooth decay shear transfer after tion of the test machine). The change of slope of the load–
peaking at a slip of 8 mm in the subsequent pull-out test. slip curve during loading was assumed to commence with
This was due to significant damage to the plug–pile interface the breaking of chemical adhesion (nonslip mechanism) and
during the initial cyclic loading. Specimen S1.25D-3 failed activation of the mechanical interlock mechanism (very
at the second cycle of the first cyclic loading range after small slip mechanism). In the following pull-out test, the
reaching a slip of 8 mm. In the following pull-out test, the specimen experienced a reversal slip at a load level of 700 kN.
specimen exhibited a gradual increase in load transfer as slip The slip is believed to be a recovery of permanent push-out
© 2006 NRC Canada
118 Can. J. Civ. Eng. Vol. 33, 2006

Fig. 6. Load–slip response in stage 1 of specimens (a) S1.0D-1, (b) S1.0D-2, (c) S1.0D-3, (d) S1.5D-1, (e) S1.5D-2, and (f) S1.5D-3.
(a) (d)
800 1200
600 800

Force (kN)
Force (kN)

400 400
200
0
0
-400
-200
-800
-400
-600 -1200
-8.0 -6.0 -4.0 -2.0 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 1.0 2.0
Slip (mm) Slip (mm)

(b) (e)
600
800
400
600

Force (kN)
200
Force (kN)

400
0
200
-200
0

-200 -400

-400 -600
-2.0 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.0 -8.0 -6.0 -4.0 -2.0 0.0 2.0
Slip (mm) Slip (mm)

(c) (f)
500 500
400 400
300
300
200
Force (kN)

Force (kN)

200 100
100 0
0 -100
-200
-100
-300
-200 -400
-300 -500
-2.0 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 -4.0 -2.0 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0
Slip (mm) Slip (mm)

slip. The specimen then showed a load transfer increase as of stiffness through the accumulation of microcracking or by
slip increased before reaching 1000 kN. Specimen S2.0D-2 progressive plastification that appears as an irreversible re-
unexpectedly failed at the first pull-out force of cyclic load- sidual strain that increases with each additional cycle.
ing; however, the specimen exhibited a decay shear transfer The slip versus cycle behaviour for specimens S1.0D-2,
after peaking at a slip of 1.0–1.5 mm. S1.75D-2, and S2.0D-1 is plotted in Fig. 10. It is evident
The load–slip response of the specimens indicated that the that slip increases with an increase in the number of load cy-
load–slip curves of cyclic loading tests are similar to the cles and that the rate of slip growth increased with an in-
load–slip curve obtained for monotonic static tests. The crease in the peak load (see Table 4). The nonsymmetric
shifting between these two curves in the ordinate load axis is behaviour in some specimens may be due to differences in
due to the different cyclic loading rate and concrete plug the local stiffness of the concrete plug adjacent to the test
length. The effects of cycling rate and the cyclic reduction tube. A concentration of coarse aggregate or voids immedi-
factor are discussed in the following sections. ately adjacent to the top or bottom of the steel tube would
have an effect on the concrete stiffness and the rate of slip
Slip versus cycles results for cyclic loading growth. The different effective mechanical interlock mecha-
nisms in pull out and push out may also have effects on the
Cyclic loading reduced the bond strength and ultimate ca- concrete stiffness.
pacity of the specimens. This was due to damage of the con- It was observed for most of the specimens that, after the
crete plug and pile–plug interface either by progressive loss first few cycles at any load range, the slip appeared to be ap-

© 2006 NRC Canada

Nezamian et al. 119

Fig. 7. Load–slip response for specimens (a) S1.25D-1, Fig. 8. Load–slip responses for specimens (a) S1.75D-1,
(b) S1.25D-2, and (c) S1.25D-3. (b) S1.75D-2, and (c) S1.75D-3.
(a) (a)
500 400
400 300
300 200
200 100
F orce ( kN)

F orce ( kN)
100
0
0
-100
-100
-200 -200
-300 -300
-400 -400
-500 -500
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10
Slip (mm) Slip (mm)
(b) 500 (b)
400
400 300
300
200
200
F orce ( kN)

F orce ( kN)
100
100
0
0
-100
-100
-200
-200
-300 -300
-400 -400
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15
Slip (mm) Slip (mm)
(c)
(c) 600 500
500 400
400 300
F orce ( kN)

300
F orce ( kN)

200
200 100
100 0
0
-100
-100
-200
-200
-300
-300
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20
-5 0 5 10 15 20 Slip (mm)
Slip(mm)

Although a slightly higher correlation could be achieved

proximately linear with the number of cycles. A line of best using higher order functions, the correlation was not signifi-
fit to the rate of slip growth with number of cycles was cal- cantly better and, in the absence of a physical model that sup-
culated for every test at every load range. The rate of slip ports a particular relationship, an exponential function was
values and load ranges are presented in Table 4. These re- adopted as providing a simple function that could consistently
sults are plotted in Fig. 11, with the rate of slip growth plot- be applied across different data series. Equation [1] does not
ted on a logarithmic scale. Although there is considerable strictly satisfy the boundary condition for the rate of slip
scatter in the data, there is a clear trend that the rate of slip growth that when P = 0, the slip growth per cycle could be
growth increased with an increase in the peak load. The zero. This is not possible with an exponential function. The
scatter in the data is probably a reflection of the variation in discrepancy arises because the equation is derived empirically,
the characteristics of the concrete plug and the effect of and not from the fundamental physical model of the behav-
shrinkage. A line of best fit to the data, plotted in Fig. 11, iour. When P = Pu, the slip growth per cycle, calculated from
resulted in the following expression for the rate of slip the equation, is finite (but large). This is consistent with the
growth per cycle for symmetric cyclic loading: observed behaviour, namely that the slip does not approach
− 0.054) infinity as the specimen approaches failure.
[1] slip growth per cycle = 10( 0.19P/ Pu mm/cycle
where P is the load, and Pu is the ultimate load. Cyclic reduction factor
Various forms of representing the data were trialed, in-
cluding higher order functions, to fit the trend of the data The ultimate capacity and load response of the specimens
given in Fig. 11. under pull-out, push-out, and cyclic loading are presented in

© 2006 NRC Canada

120 Can. J. Civ. Eng. Vol. 33, 2006

Fig. 9. Load–slip response for specimens (a) S2.0D-1, Fig. 10. Slip versus number of cycles for specimens (a) S1.0D,
(b) S2.0D-2, and (c) S2.0D-3. (b) S1.75D-2, and (c) S2.0D-1.
(a) (a)
1000
800 0.6
P/Pu = 0.38
600 0.4
400 P/Pu = 0.23
F orce ( kN)

200 0.2

Sl i p (m m )
0 0
-200
-400
-0.2
-600 -0.4
-800
-1000 -0.6
-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 -0.8
Slip (mm) 0 5 10 15 20
(b) Cycle number
500
(b)
400 1.0 P/Pu = 0.70
F orce ( kN)

300 0.5 P/Pu =0.57

P/Pu =0.44

Sl i p (m m )
P/Pu = 0.32
200 0
P/Pu = 0.25
100 -0.5 P/Pu = 0.38
P/Pu = 0.51
0 P/Pu = 0.63
-1.0
0 3 6 9 12 15 18
Slip (mm)
-1.5
(c) 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
400
Cycle num ber
300
(c)
200 2.5
F orce ( kN)

100 2.0 P/Pu=0.50

0 1.5
-100 1.0
Sl i p (m m )

-200 0.5
-300 0
-400 -0.5
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 -1.0
Slip (mm)
-1.5 P/Pu = 0.55
- 2.0
0 5 10 15 20
Tables 2 and 3 and Figs. 6–9. The ultimate capacity and Cycle number
load–slip response of specimens under the cyclic loading
can be reasonably approximated from the static ultimate The cyclic reduction factors for the aforementioned 10
strength and load–slip of the specimen by reducing the ulti- specimens indicate that the symmetric cyclic loading reduces
mate strength values of static testing by the cyclic reduction the shear–bond transfer between the concrete plug and the
factor. The cyclic reduction factor is defined as the factor by steel tube. This is due to the accumulation of damage to the
which the cyclic strength of the specimen can be obtained plug–pile interface. The exceptions to this are specimens
from the static strength for a given displacement. The cyclic S1.0D-2 and S1.25D-3, possibly because of steel tube im-
reduction factor seems to depend on the rate of load, number perfections or the effect of shrinkage. An average (mean) cy-
of cycles, concrete characteristics and shrinkage, imperfec- clic reduction factor of 0.74 was achieved (standard
tion of the steel tube, length of the plug, and perhaps the deviation of 0.25), however.
presence of reinforcement. This rule does not apply to all
specimens, however, because of irregular peak loads. These Bond strength and failure mechanisms
irregularities might be caused by either steel tube imperfec-
tions or the effect of shrinkage. Table 5 shows calculated cy- The bond strength of a reinforced concrete plug embedded
clic reduction factors for specimens with different concrete in a steel tube is a function of both chemical adhesion of the
plug lengths based on the ultimate pull-out, push-out, and steel–concrete interface and mechanical interlock between
cyclic strength of specimens. The slip values at the peak the concrete core and the steel surface. To overcome me-
load are also tabulated. chanical interlock, a small dilation of the tube occurs as it

© 2006 NRC Canada

Nezamian et al. 121

Table 4. Rate of slip growth.

Rate of slip growth (×10–6 mm per cycle)
Specimen No. Type of test Load (kN) P/Pu Positive slip Negative slip
S1.0D-2 Symmetric cyclic 150 0.23 4.06 5.71
Symmetric cyclic 250 0.34 3.91 8.86
S1.0D-3 Symmetric cyclic 150 0.23 5.11 8.64
Symmetric cyclic 250 0.34 19.07 33.04
S1.5D-2 Symmetric cyclic 230 0.23 9.68 9.55
S1.5D-3 Symmetric cyclic 230 0.23 4.02 4.08
Symmetric cyclic 400 0.34 75.80 131.93
S1.75D-2 Symmetric cycling ±100 0.25 2.19 2.19
Symmetric cycling ±125 0.32 2.19 3.28
Symmetric cycling ±150 0.38 4.37 3.28
Symmetric cycling ±175 0.44 7.66 3.28
Symmetric cycling ±200 0.51 7.66 8.75
Symmetric cycling ±225 0.57 13.13 15.32
Symmetric cycling ±250 0.63 26.25 33.91
Symmetric cycling ±275 0.70 105.01 164.09
S1.75D-3 Symmetric cycling ±150 0.38 0.41 1.09
Symmetric cycling ±200 0.51 49.51 99.55
Symmetric cycling ±225 0.57 903.43 1000.91
S2.0D-1 Symmetric cycling ±500 0.50 25.71 33.36
Symmetric cycling ±550 0.55 29.69 33.91
S2.0D-3 Symmetric cycling ±200 0.42 19.69 17.50
Symmetric cycling ±250 0.52 33.91 26.25
Symmetric cycling ±300 0.63 164.09 91.89

Fig. 11. Load range versus rate of slip growth. P, load; Pu, ulti- The tensile stresses that develop in the concrete core result
mate load; R2, coefficient of determination. in contraction of the concrete, while contraction in the steel
Load range, P/Pu tube is relatively small. This should result in separation be-
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 tween the steel tube and the concrete (Fig. 12). Considering
Rat e of slip g row th (mm /cycle)

1 the fact that deformed bars are used as reinforcement, the

ribs on the bars tend to impart wedge pressure on the outer
concrete layer, causing dilation of this layer. This dilation
0.1
enhances the frictional stresses between the steel tube and
the concrete. The test results indicated that the ultimate aver-
0.01 age bond stress increases with a decrease in the ratio of con-
crete plug embedment length to tube inner diameter L/Di,
0.001
which can also be explained by the aforementioned mecha-
R2 = 0.3905 nisms. In stage 2, the shrinkage cracks at the pile–plug inter-
face were observed prior to testing, which is believed to
0.0001 cause a reduction in bond strength and scatter in the test re-
sults.
rides over the asperities of the interface, generating radial Figure 13 shows measured longitudinal and hoop strains
contact pressure, which enhances the frictional resistance. In at the outer surface of the steel tube for specimens S1.0D
a push-out situation, dilation of the concrete plug at the top and S1.5D in pull-out tests and specimens S1.75D-3 and
of the connection enhances radial pressure and therefore S2.0D in push-out tests, which are in a good agreement with
frictional resistance. This is due to the Poisson’s effect at the the mechanisms. Longitudinal strains of specimens S1.0D
top of specimen, where the compression is high in the con- and S1.5D indicate that the load–shear transfer in the pile–
crete and low in the steel. At the base, contact pressure be- plug interface mainly occurs at the top because of reinforce-
tween concrete and steel is reduced, due to the Poisson’s ment wedge action at the top of the specimens and at the
effect, and the effective bond is therefore reduced at this lo- bottom because of the Poisson’s effect. The test results of
cation (see Fig. 12). hoop strain along the steel tube indicate that the ribs of the
In the pull-out case, the reverse is expected to occur. That longitudinal reinforcement tend to impart wedge pressure on
is, near the base of the concrete plug, contraction of the steel the outer concrete layer, causing dilation of this layer. This
tube is much higher than that of the concrete core, causing it dilation enhances the radial contact pressure and causes ra-
to grip the concrete plug. Near the top part of the plug, the dial expansion of the steel tube. At the ultimate load level,
tension force is transferred to the concrete through the rein- this dilation overcomes the contraction of the steel tube due
forcing bars embedded in the concrete core and the pile cap. to tensile axial force at the top of the specimen. Longitudinal

© 2006 NRC Canada

122 Can. J. Civ. Eng. Vol. 33, 2006

Table 5. Cyclic reduction factor.

Specimen Ultimate Cyclic ultimate Cyclic reduction Slip at peak
No. Failure regime strength (kN) strength (kN) factor load (mm)
S1.0D-2 Pull out with pre-cyclic loading 665 711 1.07 12.2
S1.0D-3 Pull out with pre-cyclic loading 665 410 0.62 11.7
S1.25D-2 Symmetric cycling loading 460 439 0.95 24.1
S1.25D-3 Pull out with pre-cyclic loading 460 540 1.17 20.9
S1.5D-2 Pull out with pre-cyclic loading 1000 500 0.50 1.8
S1.5D-3 Pull out with pre-cyclic loading 1000 404 0.40 9.2
S1.75D-2 Symmetric cycling loading 395 300 0.76 14.8
S1.75D-3 Cycling with pre-pull-out test 395 250 0.63 18.6
S2.0D-1 Cycling with pre-pull-out test 1000 600 0.60 16.0
S2.0D-3 Symmetric cycling loading 479 350 0.73 18.6

Fig. 12. Bond strength mechanisms. tube applied a longitudinal bending moment on the tube.
Push-out Force High contact pressure
Since the bending of the tube wall is a plane strain environ-
due to the Poisson's effect ment, it follows that M c = −µM y in the circumferential ring,
where My is the longitudinal bending moment, and µ is Pois-
High compressive stress in concrete
son’s ratio for the steel tube. It should be noted that the mea-
Low compressive stress in the steel tube
Concrete

sured outer longitudinal strain on the steel tube is due to the

axial pull-out force, together with the longitudinal bending
Plug

High compressive stress in the steel tube

Low compressive stress in concrete
moment along the steel tube (Nezamian et al. 2004).
Figure 14 shows a concrete plug completely pulled out
Steel Tube

Separation from the steel tube after the specimen failed in a cyclic test.
due to the Poisson's effect The failure mechanism displayed by the specimen was at the
base of the concrete plug, where the contraction of the steel
tube is much greater than that of the concrete core, causing
it to grip the concrete plug. The diagonal tension crack
Pull-out Force formed in the concrete layer between the longitudinal rein-
Separation
due to the Poisson's effect forcement and the steel tube and then extended to the end of
the longitudinal reinforcement and from there in the hoop
High tensile stress in concrete direction. This crack appeared to correspond to a tension
Low tensile stress in the steel tube
Concrete

splitting of the concrete plug at ultimate pull-out capacity of

the specimen. The observed damage at the top of the con-
Plug

High tensile stress in the steel tube crete plug also indicated the Poisson’s effect at the top of the
Low tensile stress in concrete specimen in the case of push out. These failure mechanisms
were also verified by a nonlinear finite element analysis
Steel Tube

High contact pressure

due to the Poisson's effect (Nezamian et al. 2004). The failure mechanisms are also in
agreement with the described bond strength mechanisms.

Conclusions
strains of specimens S1.75D and S2.0D show very small An experimental study was conducted to investigate the
shear transfer between the concrete plug and the steel tube at behaviour and bond strength of concrete plugs embedded in
the bottom of the specimens and maximum shear transfer at tubular steel piles under cyclic loading. Based on this study,
the top of the specimens due to the Poisson’s effect. the following conclusions are drawn:
It should be noted that the steel tube was subjected to ra- (1) Average ultimate bond strengths of 4.25 MPa for a static
dial contact forces along an arbitrary circle of the tube. Be- load and 2.77 MPa for a cyclic load were achieved for
cause of the symmetry of such loading, every section normal stage 1, and an average static bond strength of 2.37 MPa
to the axis will remain circular, and the radius R will un- and average cyclic bond strength of 1.70 MPa were
dergo a change ∆R = y, varying along the length of the plug. achieved for stage 2. The higher bond strengths than
The radial displacement y can be regarded as deflection for a those reported by Virdi and Dowling (1975) and Shakir-
longitudinal element of the tube, and hence it is seen that the Khalil (1991, 1993a, 1993b) are due to the presence of
assumed loading will set up bending stresses in the longitu- reinforcement and the use of a smaller ratio of concrete
dinal elements. This situation is analogous to the case of a plug embedment length to tube inner diameter, L/Di.
beam on an elastic foundation (Hetényni 1964). It can be The observed shrinkage of the concrete plug at stage 2
seen that mechanical macro interlock mechanisms at the top is believed to cause a reduction in bond strength, which
and bottom of specimens caused the radial pressure on the is in agreement with the findings of Virdi and Dowling
steel tube. The differential of radial pressure along the steel (1975) and Roeder et al. (1999).

© 2006 NRC Canada

Nezamian et al. 123

Fig. 13. Longitudinal strain of specimens S1.0D (a) and S1.5D (c) at ultimate pull out and S1.75D-3 (e) and S2.0D (g) at ultimate push
out, and hoop strain of specimens S1.0D (b) and S1.5D (d) at ultimate pull out and S1.75D-3 (f) and S2.0D (h) at ultimate push out.
(a) 0.0004 (b) 0.0000
0.0003 -0.0001
L on git udinal Strain

0.0003 -0.0001

Hoo p Strain
( Microstrain)
( Microstrain)

0.0002 -0.0002
0.0002
-0.0002
0.0001
-0.0003
0.0001
0.0000 -0.0003
-0.0001 -0.0004
-0.0001 -0.0004
0 50 100 150 200 0 50 100 150 200
Distance from the bottom of the plug (mm) Distance from the bottom of the plug (mm)

(c) 0.0007 (d) 0.0000

0.0006
L on git udinal Strain

0.0005 -0.0001
( Microstrain)

Hoo p Strain
( Microstrain)
0.0004
0.0003 -0.0001
0.0002
-0.0002
0.0001
0.0000
-0.0002
-0.0001
-0.0002 -0.0003
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Distance from the bottom of the plug (mm) Distance from the bottom of the plug (mm)

(e) 0.0002 (f) 0.0005

0.0005
0.0000
L on git udinal Strain

0.0004
-0.0002
( Microstrain)

Hoo p Strain
( Microstrain)

0.0004
-0.0004 0.0003
0.0003
-0.0006
0.0002
-0.0008 0.0002
-0.0010 0.0001
0.0001
-0.0012 0.0000
-50 50 150 250 350 -50 50 150 250 350
Distance from the bottom of the plug (mm)
Distance from the bottom of the plug (mm)

(g) 0.0000 (h) 0.0012

L on git udinal Strain

-0.0005 0.0010
Hoo p Strain
( Microstrain)
( Microstrain)

-0.0010 0.0008

-0.0015 0.0006

-0.0020 0.0004

-0.0025 0.0002
-0.0030 0.0000
-50 50 150 250 350 450 -50 50 150 250 350 450
Distance from the bottom of the plug (mm) Distance from the bottom of the plug (mm)

(2) The push-out and pull-out tests conducted under sym- [1] slip growth per cycle
metric cyclic loading demonstrated that slip between the = 10( 0.19P/ Pu − 0.054)
mm/cycle
concrete plug and the steel tube increased with repeated
loading, and the rate of slip growth increased with an This equation may be used to predict the failure of the
increase in the peak load. specimen due to incremental slip between the concrete
(3) Empirical relationships between the load and the rate of plug and the steel tube.
slip growth for symmetric cyclic loading were obtained (4) The ultimate capacity and load–slip response of speci-
from the experimental data as follows: mens under cyclic loading can be reasonably approxi-

© 2006 NRC Canada

124 Can. J. Civ. Eng. Vol. 33, 2006

Fig. 14. Pulled out concrete plug from the steel tube: (a) com- The main mechanism that is believed to have contrib-
plete plug, (b) top of plug, and (c) bottom of plug. uted to the bond strength in pull out was the dilation of
the concrete due to the wedging action exerted by the
(a) deformed steel bars against the concrete layer between
the bars and the steel tube. This dilation increased the
contact pressure, which enhanced the friction resistance.
A secondary factor was the pronounced Poisson’s ratio
effect increasing the radial contact stress at the base of
the concrete plug.
(6) Further tests are required to account for variations in
some parameters such as steel tube diameter and aspect
ratio, concrete strength, and steel tube surface condition.
Tests are also needed using different cyclic load re-
gimes. A more detailed investigation of the effect of
concrete shrinkage on the ultimate pull-out strength is
also required.

References
(b)
Al-Mahaidi, R., Grundy, P., and Bean, W. 1999. Pullout strength of
concrete plugs in tubular piles. In Proceedings of the 9th Inter-
national Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, Brest,
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and W. Koterayama. International Society of Offshore and Polar
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ECS. 1994. Eurocode 4: adopted European prestandard EVN 1994-
1-1:1992. European Committee for Standardization (ECS),
Brussels, Belgium.
Hetényi, M. 1964. Beams on elastic foundation. University of
Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Morishita, Y., Tommil, L., and Yoshimura, K. 1979. Experimental
studies on bond strength in concrete filled steel tubular columns
(c) subject to axial loads. Transactions of the Japan Concrete Insti-
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Morishita, Y., Tommil, L., and Yoshimura, K. 1980. A method of
improving bond strength between steel tube and concrete core
cast in circular steel tubular columns. Transactions of the Japan
Concrete Institute, 2: 319–326.
Nezamian, A., Al-Mahaidi, R., Grundy, P., and Bean, W. 2001.
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cyclic loading on the bond strength of concrete plugs embedded
mated from the static ultimate strength and load–slip of in tubular steel piles. In Advances in Structures: Proceedings of
the specimen by reducing the ultimate strength values of the International Conference on Advances in Structures
the static test by the cyclic reduction factor. An average (ASSCCA’03), Sydney, Australia, 22–25 June 2003. Edited by
cyclic reduction factor of 0.74 was achieved. G.J. Hancock, M.A. Bradford, T.J. Wilkinson, B. Uy and K.J.R.
(5) The load–slip curves of the specimens showed a nearly Rasmussen. A.A. Balkema, Exton, Pa. pp. 1125–1131.
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