This paper presents ABAQUS simulations of fully encased composite columns, aiming to examine the behavior of a composite column system under different load conditions, namely concentric, eccentric with 25 mm eccentricity, and flexural loading. The numerical results are validated with the experimental results obtained for columns subjected to static loads. A new loading condition with a 50 mm eccentricity is simulated to obtain additional data points for constructing the interaction diagram of load-moment curves, in an attempt to investigate the load-moment behavior for a reference column with a steel I-section and a column with a GFRP I-section. The result comparison shows that the experimental data align closely with the simulation results regarding the ultimate strength, deformation, and failure modes, thereby validating the accuracy of the considered models. On the other hand, the numerical results of the column specimens under 50 mm eccentric load demonstrated that, in that case, the ultimate load of the columns decreased. The capacity of the reference column, a column with steel I-section, and a column with GFRP I-section decreased to 67%, 63%, and 64%, respectively compared with the columns tested under concentric load. The analytical investigation predicted the load-carrying capacity and bending moment capacity of the specimens with good accuracy. Based on the experimental curves, and the high strength found in the specimens that use the steel I- and GFRP I-sections, a good agreement between the numerical simulation and the experimental results was noticed.
