ECS 238

ECS226
BASIC SOLID
SOLID MECHANICS
MECHANICS

CHAPTER 4:
BUCKLING OF COLUMNS

BY
AIMI MUNIRAH BINTI JALILLUDDIN
WEEK 14
 CONTENTS
1 Learning Outcomes

2 Introduction

3 CHAPTER 4: Buckling of Columns

a Effective Length

b Euler’s Formula

c Critical Buckling Stress

 CHAPTER 4
BUCKLING OF COLUMNS
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this chapter, the student will able to:

o Understand the behavior of columns and concept

of critical load and buckling
o Determine the axial load needed to buckle a so-
called ‘ideal’ column
o Determine the ‘effective length’ of a column with
various end-conditions
o Design a realistic column against buckling
 INTRODUCTION
• The failure of structural elements due to various forms – the
materials, type of loads, and conditions of support

• Ductile failure – ductile members may elongate or bend

excessively if overloaded, causing the structural member to pull
apart or collapse

• Most types of failure are avoided by analyzing and designing

the members so that their maximum stresses and maximum
deflections occur within tolerable limits.

• Two main concerns:

 Strength – its ability to support a specified load without

experiencing excessive stresses

 Stiffness – its ability to support a specified load without

undergoing unacceptable deformations or sudden change
in its configurations.
 INTRODUCTION
 Examples – building with columns, water tower legs,
truss members, bridge piers and frame members.
 Strut – inclined members
 Types of columns
 Short column – fails by direct compression
- its length is lesser than the critical
buckling length
 Slender column- fails by bucklings
- its length is greater than the
critical buckling length
 INTRODUCTION
 Column – vertical(compression) members
are usually found in load resisting
structures
 Long slender members subjected to an axial
compressive force are called columns.
 Lateral deflection that occurs is called
buckling.
 The buckling of a column can lead to a
sudden and dramatic failure of a structure or
mechanism.
 Critical load, Pcr is the maximum axial load
that a column can support when it is on the
verge of buckling as shown in Figure1(a).
(a) (b)
 Any additional loading will cause the column
to buckle and therefore deflect laterally as Figure 1
shown in Figure 1(b).
 INTRODUCTION
 Buckling occurs when a long flexible member is
loaded longitudinally in compression and deflects
near the centre of its length with a considerable
amount of displacement as shown in figure below.

Figure: Buckling of a column

 INTRODUCTION
 Quite often the buckling of column can lead to
sudden and dramatic failure. And as a result,
special attention must be given to design of
column so that they can safely support the loads.
 Buckling is not limited to columns.

 Can occur in many kinds of structures

 Can take many forms

 Step on empty aluminum can

 Major cause of failure in structures

COLUMN FAILURES DUE TO BUCKLING

NW March11 : ECS228 - Columns

 CONCEPT OF STABILITY
(BUCKLING) OF A COLUMN
 Factor of safety (FOS) – a safety margin given in design so that
the member will not fail when the load is increased beyond the
elastic limit or when the size is reduced
 A structural member must be designed so that its ultimate load
is larger than the load the member is expected to carry.
 This smaller load is known as the allowable load or working
load or design load.
ultimate load Pult
 FOS = allowable load = P
all

 FOS = ultimate stress σ ult

=
allowable stress σ all

 FOS varies between 1.4 and 3

 CONCEPT OF STABILITY
(BUCKLING) OF A COLUMN
 Assumptions or limitations of Euler’s formula:
1. Axially loaded column – perfectly aligned with the axis of
the column
2. Column is perfectly straight – no initial buckling at all
3. Isotropic and homogeneous material – chemical and
mechanical properties are the same at any point of the
column
4. Material behaves within elastic properties
5. Both ends of the column support are pinned
EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF COLUMN
 Critical buckling length = effective length, Le
 Le is dependent on:
- The shape and size of the cross section
- The relationship between the length of the column and its
lateral dimensions
- The degree of fixity at the ends

No End Conditions Le
1 Both ends pinned 1.0 L
2 One end pinned and the other fixed 0.7L
in direction (Partially restrained)
3 Both ends fixed in direction 0.5L
(Fully restrained)
4 One end fixed in direction and the 2.0L
other is free
EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF COLUMN

(a) (b) (c)

(d)
Figure: Effective length
 EULER’S FORMULA
 Buckling eqn for column,

 2 EI
Pcr 
L2
Pcr = Euler critical buckling load or maximum
axial load on column just before it begins
to buckle. This load must not cause the
stress in column to exceed proportional
limit
E = Modulus of elasticity of material
I = Least second modulus of inertia for column’s
sectional area
L = Length of column
 CRITICAL BUCKLING STRESS
 The critical buckling stress

 2E
P
σcr = cr
 cr   2E
A  cr 
2
= π EI
L r  2
KL / r 2
AL2

 radius of gyration of the column section, r = √ (I/A)

 slenderness ratio, k = Effective length of the column, Le
Radius of gyration, r
EXAMPLE 1
SOLUTION
EXAMPLE 2
SOLUTION
 EXAMPLE 3
The A-36 steel W20046 member shown in Fig. 13–8 is to
be used as a pin-connected column. Determine the
largest axial load it can support before it either begins
to buckle or the steel yields (y = 250 MPa). Given that
E = 200GPa.
 SOLUTION
 From Appendix B,

A  5890 mm 2 , I x  45.5 106 mm 4 , I y  15.3 106 mm 4

 By inspection, buckling will occur about the y–y axis.

 2 EI  2 200 106 15.3 104 1 / 10004

Pcr    1887.6 kN
L2 42
 When fully loaded, the average compressive stress in the column is

Pcr 1887.6 1000

 cr    320.5 N/mm 2
A 5890
 Since this stress exceeds the yield stress,

P
250   P  1472.5 kN  1.47 MN (Ans)
5890
EXAMPLE 4
EXAMPLE 5
EXAMPLE 5
EXAMPLE 6
EXAMPLE 5
EXAMPLE 6
EXAMPLE 6
 EXAMPLE 7
A W150-24 steel column is 8 m long and is fixed at its ends as
shown in Fig. 13–11a. Its load-carrying capacity is increased
by bracing it about the y–y (weak) axis using struts that are
assumed to be pin connected to its mid-height. Determine
the load it can support so that the column does not buckle
nor the material exceed the yield stress. Take Est = 200 GPa
and σY = 410 MPa.
 SOLUTION
 Effective length for buckling about the x–x and y–y axis is

KL x  0.58  4 m  4000 mm

KL y  0.78 / 2  2.8 m  2800 mm
 From the table in Appendix B,

 
I x  13.4 106 mm 4
Iy  1.8310  mm
6 4

 Applying Eq. 13–11,

 2 EI  2 20013.4106 
Pcr x    1653.2 kN (1)
KL 2
x
4000 2

 2 EI  2 2001.83106 
Pcr y    460.8 kN (2)
KL  2
y
2800 2
 SOLUTION
 By comparison, buckling will occur about the y–y axis.

 The average compressive stress in the column is

Per 460.8103 
 cr    150.6 N/mm 2  150.6 MPa
A 3060

 Since this stress is less than the yield stress,

buckling will occur before the material yields.

 Thus, Pcr  461 kN (Ans)

 From Eq. 13–12 it can be seen that buckling will always

occur about the column axis having the largest
slenderness ratio, since it will give a small critical stress
 TUTORIAL
A 3m column with a pin-pin condition at its ends has cross-
section shown in Figure is constructed from 2 pieces of
timber. The timbers are nailed together so that they act as a
unit. Determine:
i. The slenderness ratio.
ii. The Euler’s buckling load (E = 13GPa)
iii. The axial stress in the column when the Euler load is
applied. 50mm

50mm 50mm
150mm

50mm

150mm
THE END