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Bond strength of concrete plugs embedded in

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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 plugpile 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.

Rsum : Le transfert de charge des bouchons de bton aux pieux tubulaires en acier soumis des charges de tension,
de compression et cycliques a t tudi lUniversit Monash au cours des trois dernires annes. Le travail prsent
dans cet article examine les rsultats de la combinaison des essais darrachement, de contrainte par expulsion et de
chargement cyclique effectus sur 15 tubes dacier partiellement remplis de bton arm dont les longueurs dencastre-
ment varient. La force darrachement a t applique des tiges darmature en acier encastres dans le bouchon de b-
ton, et les contraintes par expulsion ont t appliques sur une plaque circulaire paisse reposant sur le bouchon de
bton. Les rsultats des essais comprennent le chargement cyclique, les forces limites darrachement et dexpulsion, le
glissement des bouchons de bton et les contraintes longitudinales et circonfrentielles le long les pieux pour certains
chantillons. Les essais montrent clairement que la rsistance moyenne du lien dpasse de manire significative les at-
tentes et elle est suprieure aux rsultats des tudes antrieures utilizant des bouchons sans renforcement. Les rsultats
dessais montrent galement que les essais de chargement cyclique ont rduit la rsistance du lien en raison de laccu-
mulation de dommages linterface bouchonpieu. Les essais de contrainte par expulsion et darrachements effectus
sous des chargements cycliques symtriques ont dmontr que le glissement entre le bouchon de bton et le tube en
acier augmente avec la rptition des charges et que le taux de glissement augmente avec la charge de pointe.
Mots cls : pieux tubulaires en acier, bouchon de bton arm, lien, charge cyclique.
[Traduit par la Rdaction] Nezamian et al. 125

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

The legs of platforms of many offshore and coastal struc-
tures are usually founded on tubular steel piles through rein-
forced concrete pile caps. Wave, wind, and earthquake loads
tend to induce compressive and uplift forces in the legs that
in turn subject the piles to cyclic compression and tension
loading. This transfer of forces takes place through a con-
crete plug embedded in the top of the steel pile. The resis-
steelconcrete bond stress along the plug length (see Fig. 1).
In recent years, many investigations have resulted in anal-
ysis and design rules for concrete-filled steel columns based
on experimental models of steel tubes filled with plain con-
crete and tested in compression. The composite action in
such columns is due to the bond strength and mechanical in-
terlock. Investigations have shown that these mechanisms
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: abe.nezamian@rmit.edu.au).
Can. J. Civ. Eng. 33: 111125 (2006) doi:10.1139/L05-091 2006 NRC Canada
112
Fig. 1. Typical connection between a steel pile and a concrete pile cap. RL, reduced level.
Reinforcing
bars
Reinforcing bars
R10 rings Bottom of
Dolphin
SECTION A - A
A
plug
rete
Conc
shape variation of the cross section of the steel tube. Values
of bond strength reported in the literature varied from 0.2 to
1.0 MPa. In contrast, a literature search has revealed that no
investigations have been carried out on steel tubes filled
with reinforced concrete.
The earliest experimental study of the bond strength of
concrete-filled steel tubes was carried out by Virdi and
Dowling (1975). A number of parameters were varied to
study their effects on the bond strength between concrete
and steel. It was concluded that the resistance to the push-
out test in filled tubes derives primarily from the interlock-
ing of concrete in two types of imperfections in steel. The
first relates to the surface roughness of the steel, and the sec-
ond to variation in the shape of the cross section, away from
the ideal cylindrical surface. The interlocking of concrete in
the surface roughness of steel (i.e., micro-locking) contrib-
utes a useful component of the ultimate bond strength
related to the initially stiff region of the load deflection char-
acteristics. Virdi and Dowling proposed the bond strength of
1 MPa for design. An extensive investigation of the push-out
strength of concrete-filled tubular members was undertaken
by Shakir-Khalil (1991, 1993a, 1993b). The main parame-
ters studied were the shape of the tube, interface length, in-
terface condition, and use of mechanical connectors. It was
also noted that, in agreement with Virdi and Dowling, speci-
men length was not a significant factor in the bond strength.
Further, it was shown that the circular hollow section (CHS)
tube had a superior load-carrying capacity compared with
the rectangular hollow section (RHS) tube. The resistance of
the circular section is enhanced due to the much stiffer con-
finement of the concrete during slip as it rides over the aspe-
rities and irregularities of profile of the steel tube. A bond
strength of 0.4 MPa was proposed for design purposes. The
test results and analytical study of Roeder et al. (1999) in an
examination of the bond stress capacity of circular concrete-
Can. J. Civ. Eng. Vol. 33, 2006
30 RL
175 Pour concrete
with cap
mm
300
A
RL
Face of
mooring
dolphin
e 1:3
Rak
e 1:3
Rak
filled tube (CFT) members indicated that the maximum av-
erage bond stress capacity is somewhat smaller with longer
column lengths and larger diameter to thickness (D/t) ratios
and diameters due to the lack of the stiffness to enforce the
benefits of irregularity in the cross section.
Test results from the aforementioned studies showed that
the average bond stress for rectangular tubes was approxi-
mately 70% smaller than that for circular tubes and indi-
cated that the influences of the steel tube aspect ratio (D/t)
and the ratio of concrete core length to depth (L/D) on the
bond strength are not completely understood.
The bond resistance of reinforced concrete plugs embed-
ded in tubular steel piles under pull-out and push-out load-
ings has been investigated by Nezamian et al. (2001, 2003,
2002) and Al-Mahaidi et al. (1999). The pull-out bond
strength tested in specimens having a concrete plug
embedment length to tube inner diameter ratio of L/Di = 1
ranged from 4.3 to 6.2 MPa. It was not possible to determine
the pull-out bond strength for specimens with L/Di > 1 due
to yielding and rupture of the embedded steel bars, which
preceded the development of full bond strength. The push-
out strength of reinforced concrete plugs embedded in tubu-
lar steel piles revealed capacities higher than those reported
by others. This was attributed, in part, to the presence of re-
inforcement in the plug and smaller concrete plug
embedment length to tube inner diameter L/Di compared
with the other reported investigations. Bond strengths of
from 2.0 to 7.3 MPa were achieved.
Current code provisions
The provisions of British Standard BS5400, Steel, con-
crete and composite bridges (BSI 1979), recommend that
shear connectors be provided where the shear stresses at the
steelconcrete interface, due to the design ultimate loads, ex-
2006 NRC Canada
Nezamian et al.
ceed 0.4 MPa for concrete-filled steel sections. According to
Eurocode 4 (ECS 1994), the design shear strength due to
bond and friction for a concrete-filled hollow section should
be taken as 0.4 MPa.
Both codes recommend the same value for bondshear
strength between concrete and steel regardless of concrete
properties, length of concrete embedment, shape of steel
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
steel piles. Only one circular steel tube size and concrete
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
had an outside average diameter Di of 237 mm and an aver-
age wall thickness of 11.5 mm. The steel tubes were cut to a
length of 600 mm. The inner surfaces of the steel tubes were
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-
ent depths of concrete plugs. The specified reinforcing cages
were placed in the specimens and tack welded in position to
ensure the cage would not move during pouring of the con-
crete. The reinforcing bars in all specimens consisted of six
Y24 bars (24 mm diameter deformed bar with nominal yield
strength of 400 MPa). The reinforcement was 5% of the
gross area of the concrete plug based on the threaded area of
the bars (Fig. 2).
One cubic metre of 32 MPa concrete with a slump of 80
100 mm was ordered to manufacture the specimens. General
purpose (GP) Portland cement was used (SAA 1997), with a
water to cement ratio of 0.5 and cement to aggregate ratio of
1/7. This was in accordance with SAA (1993). The maxi-
mum aggregate size was limited to 20 mm. The result of the
slump test on the concrete batch on arrival revealed a slump
of 100 mm, and cylinder compressive strength test results in-
dicated 40 MPa at an age of 38 days. The concrete was care-
fully placed and then vibrated into each specimen to ensure
satisfactory compaction. The specifications of the con-
structed specimens are summarized in Table 1.
The top surface was prepared with plaster to provide a
level surface and ensure even distribution of the compressive
forces. The supporting timber formwork was removed, and
the base plates were then welded to each sample. This pro-
cess involved placing the samples in the test rig to ensure the
reinforcement bars were correctly aligned with the testing
rig. The base plate was then tack welded, removed from the
rig, and then fully welded with three passes.
As shown in Fig. 3, the loads were applied through a thick
circular steel plate placed on the concrete surface of the plug
and bolted to the reinforcing bars. An Instron servo-controlled
actuator of 1000 kN dynamic capacity and 1250 kN static ca-
pacity was used to load the specimens on pull-out, push-out,
and cycling loading tests. This gave a comfortable margin of
capacity over the anticipated ultimate pull-out force of
1000 kN (to prevent the failure of threaded bars). An Instron
113
Fig. 2. Typical test specimen.
50 mm
6 mm round bars
Ring Reinforcements
Variable Concrete Embedment
Concrete
Length
40 MPa Compressive Strength
600 mm
40 mm
6 24 mm deformed bars
244 mm OD Steel Tube
11 mm Thickness
6 mm plain bars
Ring Reinforcements
8500 controller, which allowed load and displacement con-
trol and had programmable trapezoidal control waveforms,
which were utilized for the cyclic loading tests, controlled
the actuator. Displacement control was used for the pull-out
and push-out tests, and load control (with displacement limit
set) was used for all cyclic tests.
The monotonic tests (pull out and push out) were con-
ducted at a displacement rate of 0.015 mm/s. The time taken
to reach the peak load was varied in the order of 510 min.
The cyclic tests were conducted with a symmetric triangu-
lar cyclic loading with no holding time at the peak load.
Wind and wave loading can be simulated using this load
protocol. For every cyclic test, the loading was repeated for
a predetermined number of cycles, with data continuously
recorded. The load range was then increased, and the new
loading was repeated, usually for the same number of cycles.
For the cyclic tests, the load versus time function was trian-
gular. A typical function is shown in Fig. 4.
The type of tests on each specimen and the loading rates
and number of cycles per load range are summarized in Ta-
bles 2 and 3.
A string linear variable displacement transducer (LVDT)
was used to measure the relative movement (slip) between
the concrete core and the steel tube. Most of the test speci-
mens were strain-gauged along the outer surface of the steel
tube within the length of the concrete plug. Both longitudi-
nal and hoop direction gauges were used. The purpose of
these gauges was to determine from the axial stress in the
steel tube the distribution of shear stress along the contact
area. Additional strain gauges were used on the opposite
side of the tubes to establish whether the loading arrange-
ment introduced significant eccentricity in the specimen.
Strain gauge arrangements are shown in Fig. 5.
It was decided to investigate the effect of cyclic loadings
on bond strength in two stages of experimental work. The
first stage focused on determination of the effect of the ini-
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)
steelconcrete.
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
the cyclic loading test.
Average bond strengths of 4.3 MPa were achieved for
static pull-out tests and 2.8 MPa for pull-out tests with a cy-
clic loading effect. The test results indicated that pre-cyclic
loading tests reduced the bond strength due to the prior dam-
age to the plugpile interface.
Loadslip response
Figure 6 shows the loadslip response of specimen series
S1.0D and S1.5D. In pull out, specimen S1.0D-1 exhibited a
decay in shearbond load as slip increased after peaking at a
slip of 1.01.5 mm. This is the expected result associated
with a plug in a properly circular straight pile. In push out,
the specimen exhibited some slip at an initial load of
300 kN. This is attributed to reversal of permanent slip cre-
ated by the prior pull-out test. The initial slip of 2.0 mm is
believed to be recovery of permanent pull-out slip. The spec-
imen then exhibited a gradual increase in load transfer as
slip increased after reaching an applied load of 450 kN at a
slip of 1.0 mm. A possible explanation for this is that the
initial pull-out test prestressed the interface. Macro interlock
effects are then created when the slip becomes significant.
These caused an increase in the contact stress between the
steel tube and concrete plug, which increases the frictional
resistance. Specimens S1.0D-2 and S1.0D-3 exhibited a typ-
ical loadslip response in tension after initial cyclic loading
characterized by a gradual decrease in load transfer as slip
increased after peaking at a slip of 1.0 mm. The loadslip of
specimen S1.0D-2 indicates that the initial cyclic loading
may not have a significant effect on the loadslip behaviour
and the pull-out strength of the specimen. On the contrary,
the loadslip response of specimen S1.0D-3 shows that the
initial cyclic loading reduced the interface stiffness and
shear transfer between the concrete and the steel tube. This
was due to the prior damage to the plugpile interface.
As can be seen in Fig. 6, the loadslip response of speci-
men S1.5D-1 shows typical behaviour in the pull-out test
with a peak load of 1000 kN at a slip of 1.7 mm. The test
procedure stopped at 1000 kN, as the specimen reached the
limitation of the test instrumentation. The loadslip of the
specimen in push out shows gradual reversal slip to a load
level of 300 kN. This is attributed to the reversal of perma-
nent slip created by the prior pull-out test. The specimen
then reached a load level of 1000 kN at a slip of 1.0 mm.
Specimen S1.5D-2 exhibited a typical loadslip response in
tension after initial cyclic loading. It was characterized by a
gradual decrease in load transfer as slip increased after peak-
ing at a slip of 1.0 mm.
Specimen S1.5D-3 failed at the end of the second 10 cy-
cles. The loadslip response of the specimen indicates that
the initial cyclic loading reduced the ultimate strength of the
specimen to the level of the second cyclic load of 400 kN.
This was due to the significant damage to the plugpile in-
terface. The post-failure response shows an almost constant
shear transfer in the pull-out test after cyclic loading. This
behaviour continued until the slip values reached 9.2 mm.
The loadslip response of the specimens indicated that the
loadslip curves of the pull-out test with a cyclic effect are
similar to those obtained for monotonic static tests. The
shifting between these two curves in the ordinate load axis is
due to the different cyclic loading rate and concrete plug
length. The effects of cycling rate and the cyclic reduction
factor are discussed in the following sections.
Test results of stage 2
Previous test results (Nezamian et al. 2001, 2002) indi-
cated that the ultimate push-out strength of the specimen is
most likely less than the ultimate pull-out strength. Stage 2
of the experimental work was then planned to evaluate the
failure of the specimens, subjected to cyclic loading based
on the ultimate push-out strength of the specimen. Three
specimens each of three different concrete plug lengths
(1.25D, 1.75D, and 2.0D) were then tested. The first speci-
men of each plug length group was tested for static compres-
sion capacity to enable the assessment of cyclic load effects,
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
cyclic loadings. This was followed by monotonic pull-out
tests. It was decided that the magnitude of cyclic loading
would start from 0.6 of the ultimate strength of the specimen
and would then be reduced to 0.3 of the ultimate strength
due to early failure of specimens S1.25D-1 and S1.25D-2.
This stage of the experiment took place about 2 years after
construction of the specimens. Therefore, determination of
the effect of shrinkage on bond strength of concrete plugs
can also be evaluated with this set of test data. A total of 12
successful tests were conducted, including three monotonic
tests to determine the push-out strength of the concrete plug,
six tests with symmetric cyclic loading of the specimens,
and three tests with extra pull-out tests to evaluate the effect
of cyclic loading. Table 3 lists the peak loads achieved and
corresponding average bond strengths. The slip values at
peak load, initial type of cyclic loading test, and age of con-
crete on the date of the test are also tabulated.
A total of 35 tests were carried out on nine specimens.
The pull-out bond strength varied between 3.3 and 1.2 MPa,
with an average of 2.3 MPa for seven pull-out tests. The
push-out bond strength varied between 3.3 and 0.9 MPa,
with an average of 2.3 MPa for three push-out tests. The cy-
clic bond strength varied between 2.0 and 0.9 MPa, with an
average of 1.3 MPa for six cyclic loading tests. The test re-
sults indicated that cyclic bond strength is lower than ulti-
mate static pull-out or push-out bond strengths. This is due
to the incremental damage to the plugpile interface. The
shrinkage cracks were observed at the concretesteel inter-
face in most of the specimens prior to testing. It is then con-
cluded that shrinkage can be very detrimental to bond stress
capacity and reduces the bond strength with time.
Loadslip response
Figures 7, 8, and 9 show the loadslip response of speci-
men series S1.25D, S1.75D, and S2.0D, respectively. In
static push-out tests, specimen S1.25D-1 exhibited a decay
shear transfer after peaking at a slip of 1.01.5 mm. This is
the expected result associated with a plug in a properly cir-
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 loadslip 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 loadslip 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 plugpile 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. Loadslip 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
slip increased before reaching 1000 kN. Specimen S2.0D-2
unexpectedly failed at the first pull-out force of cyclic load-
ing; however, the specimen exhibited a decay shear transfer
after peaking at a slip of 1.01.5 mm.
The loadslip response of the specimens indicated that the
loadslip curves of cyclic loading tests are similar to the
loadslip curve obtained for monotonic static tests. The
shifting between these two curves in the ordinate load axis is
due to the different cyclic loading rate and concrete plug
length. The effects of cycling rate and the cyclic reduction
factor are discussed in the following sections.
Slip versus cycles results for cyclic loading
Cyclic loading reduced the bond strength and ultimate ca-
pacity of the specimens. This was due to damage of the con-
crete plug and pileplug interface either by progressive loss
of stiffness through the accumulation of microcracking or by
progressive plastification that appears as an irreversible re-
sidual strain that increases with each additional cycle.
The slip versus cycle behaviour for specimens S1.0D-2,
S1.75D-2, and S2.0D-1 is plotted in Fig. 10. It is evident
that slip increases with an increase in the number of load cy-
cles and that the rate of slip growth increased with an in-
crease in the peak load (see Table 4). The nonsymmetric
behaviour in some specimens may be due to differences in
the local stiffness of the concrete plug adjacent to the test
tube. A concentration of coarse aggregate or voids immedi-
ately adjacent to the top or bottom of the steel tube would
have an effect on the concrete stiffness and the rate of slip
growth. The different effective mechanical interlock mecha-
nisms in pull out and push out may also have effects on the
concrete stiffness.
It was observed for most of the specimens that, after the
first few cycles at any load range, the slip appeared to be ap-

2006 NRC Canada

Nezamian et al. 119

Fig. 7. Loadslip response for specimens (a) S1.25D-1, Fig. 8. Loadslip 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
fit to the rate of slip growth with number of cycles was cal-
culated for every test at every load range. The rate of slip
values and load ranges are presented in Table 4. These re-
sults are plotted in Fig. 11, with the rate of slip growth plot-
ted on a logarithmic scale. Although there is considerable
scatter in the data, there is a clear trend that the rate of slip
growth increased with an increase in the peak load. The
scatter in the data is probably a reflection of the variation in
the characteristics of the concrete plug and the effect of
shrinkage. A line of best fit to the data, plotted in Fig. 11,
resulted in the following expression for the rate of slip
growth per cycle for symmetric cyclic loading:
0.054)
[1] slip growth per cycle = 10( 0.19P/ Pu
where P is the load, and Pu is the ultimate load.
Various forms of representing the data were trialed, in-
cluding higher order functions, to fit the trend of the data
given in Fig. 11.
using higher order functions, the correlation was not signifi-
cantly better and, in the absence of a physical model that sup-
ports a particular relationship, an exponential function was
adopted as providing a simple function that could consistently
be applied across different data series. Equation [1] does not
strictly satisfy the boundary condition for the rate of slip
growth that when P = 0, the slip growth per cycle could be
zero. This is not possible with an exponential function. The
discrepancy arises because the equation is derived empirically,
and not from the fundamental physical model of the behav-
iour. When P = Pu, the slip growth per cycle, calculated from
the equation, is finite (but large). This is consistent with the
observed behaviour, namely that the slip does not approach
infinity as the specimen approaches failure.
mm/cycle
Cyclic reduction factor
The ultimate capacity and load response of the specimens
under pull-out, push-out, and cyclic loading are presented in

2006 NRC Canada

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

Fig. 9. Loadslip 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. 69. The ultimate capacity and Cycle number
loadslip 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 loadslip 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 shearbond 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 plugpile 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 steelconcrete 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 (106 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

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

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

2006 NRC Canada

124
Fig. 14. Pulled out concrete plug from the steel tube: (a) com-
plete plug, (b) top of plug, and (c) bottom of plug.
(a)
(b)
(c)
mated from the static ultimate strength and loadslip of
the specimen by reducing the ultimate strength values of
the static test by the cyclic reduction factor. An average
cyclic reduction factor of 0.74 was achieved.
(5) The loadslip curves of the specimens showed a nearly
bilinear response. The change of slope of the loadslip
curves during loading is assumed to occur with the
breaking of the microchemical adhesion and the activa-
tion of the mechanical macro interlocking mechanism.
Can. J. Civ. Eng. Vol. 33, 2006
The main mechanism that is believed to have contrib-
uted to the bond strength in pull out was the dilation of
the concrete due to the wedging action exerted by the
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 Poissons 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
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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BSI. 1979. Steel, concrete and composite bridges: code of practice
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ECS. 1994. Eurocode 4: adopted European prestandard EVN 1994-
1-1:1992. European Committee for Standardization (ECS),
Brussels, Belgium.
Hetnyi, 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
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: 319326.
Nezamian, A., Al-Mahaidi, R., Grundy, P., and Bean, W. 2001.
Bond strength mechanisms in the pull out of concrete plugs in
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