The present paper deals with the experimental and analytical study on the mechanical properties of reinforced concrete (RC) columns subjected to flexural deformation under axial compression. The pushover loading test has been performed on 8 types of RC column specimens with the different lateral hoop ratios under constant axial compression force. The experimental results have been compared with the analytical results from the finite element program FEAP, then and the mechanical properties, such as the toughness and the plastic hinge moment in the post-peak region of RC columns, have been examined for 8 types of RC column specimens. Furthermore, the effect of axial loading and the lateral hoop ratio on the material property (i. e., softening behavior) of the core concrete has been discussed It turns out that the lateral hoop ratio almost has no influence on the post-peak behavior of RC columns at structural level and the softening behavior of the coe concrete at material level.
