Bulging of CFT walls
Bulging of CFT walls
(OP)
Hi guys, just wondering what you make of this concrete-filled tube that we found during a frame inspection. It looks like all the side of the column are bulging - indeed it looks like the concrete socle at the base is restraining the deformation which is why some concrete is spalling off. At the upper end there is a brace connection and that is also clearly restraining the deformation. Very strange to me that the walls of the column are bulging over such a long distance, I would have expected some buckling deformations to be more local. Anyone seen this kind of thing before? Interestingly, the other similarly loaded columns do not show this same bulging.
It's a 180x180x5 SHS with plain concrete filling, it's total height is around 7,5m. I have included a stick diagram showing the arrangement - the column takes some compression from the top but also resists some bending moment from the entrance canopy brace that is attached between the stiff points formed by the bracing. Sorry it might all be a bit hard to see but hopefully you get the idea.



It's a 180x180x5 SHS with plain concrete filling, it's total height is around 7,5m. I have included a stick diagram showing the arrangement - the column takes some compression from the top but also resists some bending moment from the entrance canopy brace that is attached between the stiff points formed by the bracing. Sorry it might all be a bit hard to see but hopefully you get the idea.




RE: Bulging of CFT walls
Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Do you feel any better?
-Dik
RE: Bulging of CFT walls
RE: Bulging of CFT walls
Cheers
RE: Bulging of CFT walls
RE: Bulging of CFT walls
RE: Bulging of CFT walls
I guess water entry is a possibility, there are some weird connections at the top of the columns and it's possible a weld or two is missing or incomplete, leaving some space for water to get in. As you mentioned, it is unlikely that freezing would be an issue but it's not beyond the realms of possibility if the shop had been empty for some time and the heating switched off. I'll investigate this a little further.