Torsional Behaviour of High Strength Steel (S700) Rectangular Hollow Section Stub Column

This study investigates the torsional behavior of high strength steel (S700) rectangular hollow section stub columns. Numerical study was performed in ABAQUS to evaluate the influence of geometric parameters such as cross-section aspect ratio and thickness on torsional performance. A two stage validation of the numerical models were employed against test results available in literature. The torsional loading scheme was validated using torsion test results of carbon steel rectangular hollow section. The adopted high strength steel materials was further validated against test results on high strength steel rectangular hollow section (RHS) under axial compression. The study revealed that members with higher cross-section aspect ratio (SHS) exhibited superior torsional resistance than lower aspect ratio (RHS), while increasing wall thickness consistently enhanced performance across all configurations. Finally, the numerical results were benchmarked against existing design codes such as Eurocode & American Code and Direct Strength Method (DSM), revealing the potential for improved accuracy through FE-based studies. The findings offer critical insights for structural optimization and slight improvement of existing design approach for HSS-RHS under pure torsional loading.