Hold On, Be Stable:

Strength of Shape Columns

December 2020

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study 3
Statement of the Problem 4
Hypothesis 5
Scope and Delimitation 5
Significance of the Study 5
Notes 6
METHODOLOGY
Materials 7
Methods 7
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results 8
Discussion 8
CONCLUSION 9
REFERENCES 10
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 12
APPENDICES 13

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 INTRODUCTION

Overview

This section provides an overview of the background of the research, the statement of the

problem, hypotheses, scope and the limitations, as well as, the significance of the study.

Background of the Study

Architectural structures attribute their design and firmness onto different shapes. In

building these structures, especially those that are too high and large, architects and engineers

consider not only the visual form that shapes will bring to the structure but also if those shapes

are strong enough to make it stable. When engineers build structures like bridges and buildings,

they take account the carrying capacity of the structures. They consider the stability of bridges

and buildings against large amounts of force put on them by weight. Structures are supported in

many ways using different shapes.

One important component that supports a structure is a column. According to Britannica,

a column, in architecture, is a vertical element; usually a rounded shaft with capital and a base,

which in most cases serves as support.1 Another definition for columns is that they are basically

rigid vertical structural members designed primarily to support axial compressive loads coming

from beams and slabs and then transfer it to ground through footing. 2 For example, think of a

rectangular table with four legs at the corners. The weight of the table and all the objects on the

table is transferred to the floor through the legs acting in compression. In this case the legs can

be considered as columns. Columns are used to support floor/roof beams and the columns of the

floor above. The columns at the bottom floor of a tall building must carry the accumulative

weight of all the floors above.3 Column plays an important role in whole load transfer

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mechanism and without it structure doesn’t exists. The strength of a column depends largely on

its shape.4

There are many studies that were already conducted in the past years similar or related to

the present study. According to the study of Joseph B. Keller (1960), he stated that the strongest

column has an equilateral triangle as cross section, and it is tapered along its length, being the

thickest in the middle and thinnest at its ends. Its buckling load is 61.2% larger than that of a

cylinder column. However, on the study of Katelyn E. Shipp on 2007 on her project entitled

Standing Tall: Strength of Shapes, a study to determine the strongest shape that can support the

most weight, her conclusion stated that the cylinder column was the strongest shape and it was

because of its corners. She concluded that the corners of the shapes give the columns their

strength. It was stated that the circle can be viewed as having 360 corners. Thus, the circle is by

far the strongest shape columns. But there were also other studies that say a triangle is the

strongest shape as it holds its shape and has a base and was commonly used in buildings as

support.

It was mentioned above that the strength of a column depends largely on its shapes and

other factors. To prevent the confusion as to what shape of column is really the strongest, this

study was conducted to prove the shape of the strongest column, testing what shape column can

hold the highest number of pocket books.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to find out which shape column is the strongest. Specifically, this study

sought answer to the question:

• Which shape column can hold the highest number of pocket books?

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Hypothesis

a. If the paper with rectangular prism shape is used, then it will hold the greatest number

of pocket books.

b. If the paper with triangular prism shape is used, then it will hold the highest number of

pocket books.

c. If the paper with cylinder shape is used, then it will hold the most number of pocket

books.

Scope and Delimitation

This study mainly focused on the three shape columns- rectangular, triangular, and

cylinder columns. The study aimed to determine the number of books each shape column can

hold. The study also concentrated on finding out what shape column is the strongest based on the

gathered data. Also, this study wanted to know the reason behind to why some shapes are

stronger than the others, as well as, the factors that affect the strength of the shapes.

This study was limited on determining what is really the strongest shape because there

are only three shapes that were studied. Also, it was limited to testing the carrying capacity

category only.

Significance of the Study

The result of this study entitled “Hold On, Be Stable: Strength of Shape Columns” would

help people to decide what shape should they use in building structures if they want to build a

stable and strong one that can carry a large amount of load. It can also be a guide in what shape

column should be used to construct a strong column that will support a certain massive structure.

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This study would also be a great help to the future researchers who will also conduct a study

related or similar to this study. This would be added to the past studies. Therefore, it could be

one of their guides and references in the future.

NOTES

1
https://www.britannica.com/technology/column-architecture

2
https://gharpedia.com/blog/column-building/

3
https://structuralengineeringbasics.com/what-are-beams-and-columns-building-

construction/

4
https://gharpedia.com/blog/column-building/

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 METHODOLOGY

Materials

The following materials were used in the conducted experiment: 3 pieces of 216×279mm

short coupon band with the same thickness, plastic tape, pocket books, paper for recording, pen,

and cell phone.

Methods

The three pieces of 216×279mm short coupon bond were folded into three shape

columns. For the square/rectangular column, the short coupon bond was folded into half and

each end into half again towards the center fold, so the paper was split into four even segments.

The paper was formed into a square and was secured with tape. For the triangular column, the

second piece of short coupon bond was folded into thirds to create a triangular column and was

also secured with tape. For the circular column, the edges were taped together to form a circular

column. The papers in the three columns did not overlap and are all kept the same. After the

columns were made, they were stood up. The next step was the pocket books were carefully

placed on top of each one. The researcher kept the pocket books and its order of placement the

same throughout the experiment until the column collapses. The number of pocket books each

shape column held was recorded.

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table 1: Tally of the Number of Pocket Books each Shape Column Held

Shape Column How many pocket books?

1. Rectangular prism 6

2. Triangular prism 3

3. Cylinder 12

Results

Rectangular, triangular, and cylinder columns each held 6, 3, and 12 number of pocket

books respectively. (Table 1: Tally of the Number of Pocket Books each Shape Column Held)

The cylinder column held the most number of pocket books.

Discussion

The results of the experiment supported the formulated hypothesis. The cylinder held the

most number of books. This is because it does not have any corners. The weight of the pocket

books was distributed equally along the arc of the circle instead of concentrating in one point.

The square and triangle carried the weight of the pocket books on its corners. The corners of

square and triangle were weak because the weight at their edges was heavy making the column

collapsed easily. One thing prior to starting the experiment, the paper should not be too rumpled

to have a clear result in the experiment.

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 CONCLUSIONS

Graph 1: The Number of Pocket Books the Shapes Held

The Number Of Pocket Books the Shapes Held

Cylinder

Triangular prism

Rectangular prism

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Number of Books

The aim of this study, which was to find out what shape is the strongest to hold the

highest number of pocket books, was achieved. The hypothesis that states “If the cylinder shape

is used, then it will hold the most number of pocket books.” was accepted. The two other

hypotheses were not supported by the experiment. Therefore, were rejected.

The cylinder shape held the most number of pocket books. Therefore, it is the strongest

shape column.

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 REFERENCES

Shipp, Katelyn E. (2007) Standing Tall: Strength of Shapes. Date retrieved: December 11, 2020

Retrieved from: https://csef.usc.edu/History/2007/Projects/J0227.pdf

Defterios, Archer. (2012)World’s Strongest Shape Date retrieved: December 11, 2020

Retrieved from: http://csef.usc.edu/History/2012/Projects/J0306.pdf

Rene. (2018) Rookie Science: Column Strength Test Date retrieved: December 11, 2020

Retrieved from: https://digitalbranch.cmlibrary.org/kids-club/column-strength-test/

https://youtu.be/F6cyIM_7TiY

Domae, Amy F. (2014) Designing Stronger Lightweight Support Columns Date retrieved:

December 11, 2020 Retrieved from: http://csef.usc.edu/History/2014/Projects/34931.pdf

Irajpanah, Katherine (2011) Which Type of Bridge Can Hold the Heaviest Load? Date retrieved:

December 11, 2020 Retrieved from: https://csef.usc.edu/History/2011/Projects/J0314.pdf

Keller, Joseph B. (January, 1960) The Shape of the Strongest Column Date retrieved: December

18, 2020 Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00252909

WEBSITES

https://gharpedia.com/blog/column-building/

https://structuralengineeringbasics.com/what-are-beams-and-columns-building-construction/

https://www.britannica.com/technology/column-architecture

https://ela215.weebly.com/shapes-used-to-design-strong-structures.html

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https://medium.com/@hristovh1980/the-best-shape-for-making-strong-structures-d558ff3b876a

https://lsc.org/news-and-social/news/super-strong-shapes

https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_intro_lesson01_activity1

https://www.science-sparks.com/strong-shapes-how-strong-is-a-piece-of-paper/

https://civilplanets-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/civilplanets.com/square-or-rectangular-or-
circular-column/amp/

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 APPENDIX A: Gravity Load Path
https://dudleydunham.com/about-us/what-does-a-structural-engineer-do

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 APPENDIX B: The Experiment

Rectangular Column Triangular Column

Cylinder Column

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