COLUMNS

PREPARED & PRESENTED BY:

ROHINI R. NAIK
COLUMNS

THE VERTICAL MEMBERS OF

THE BUILDING FRAME WHICH
CARRY AXIAL COMPRESSIVE
LOADS ARE CALLED AS
COLUMNS.
 STRUT

A COMPRESSION MEMBER OF A TRUSS

IS CALLED STRUT.

IT IS BAR OR A MEMBER OF A STRUCTURE IN

ANY POSITION AND CARRYING AXIAL
COMPRESSIVE LOAD
COMPRESSIVE STRESS,
ƒ
WHEN COLUMN OR STRUT IS SUBJECTED P
TO SOME COMPRESSIVE FORCE THEN
COMPRESSIVE STRESS IS INDUCED

ƒ=
P
A
P = COMPRESSIVE FORCE L B
A = CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF D
THE COLUMN =BxD

B
CLASSIFICATION OF COLUMNS

COLUMNS ARE GROUPED INTO TWO

CATEGORIES SHORT COLUMN & LONG

COLUMN

SHORT COLUMN
THE COLUMN WHOSE LATERAL DIMENSION IS VERY LARGE
WHEN COMPARED TO ITS LENGTH IS SHORT COLUMN
L <
12 D

LONG
COLUM
N
THE COLUMN WHOSE LATERAL DIMENSION IS VERY SMALL
WHEN COMPARED TO ITS LENGTH IS LONG COLUMN
L >
12 D

* L=
LENGT
H OF
THE
COLU
MN /
 MODES OF FAILURE OF
COLUMNS

In case of Short columns, if load P is

gradually increased the column will
reach stage when it will be subjected to
ultimate crushing stress. Beyond this
stage column will fail by Crushing. The
load corresponding to Crushing stress is
called Crushing load.
The long column has a tendency to
bend in the lateral direction even
when loaded axially. This bending of
column in the lateral direction is called
buckling.
 FAILURE MODES
OF RC
COLUMNS
UNDER
LOADING

Strong beam weak

columns

Short column failure-

crushing

Shear failure of column

 Effective Length

Effective length of a column is a length

between
the points of contraflexure of a buckled
column.

It depends upon the end conditions:

BOTH BOTH ONE END ONE END

ENDS ENDS FIXED, FIXED,
HINGED FIXED OTHER OTHER
Le= Le=L/2 END END FREE
L HINGED
Le=L/ Le=2
√2 L
• L= Actual length
• Le= Effective
Slenderness Ratio
The slenderness ratio λ is a ratio of
effective length Le to the least radius of
gyration k.

λ =Le / k k=√I/A

I= Moment of Inertia, A= cross sectional

area of column

Since an axially loaded column tends to buckle about the axis

of least moment of inertia, the least radius of gyration is used
to determine the slenderness ratio.

The strength of the column depends upon the slenderness

ratio. As the slenderness ratio goes on increasing the
compressive strength goes on decreasing due to increase in
the tendency of buckling.
Euler’s Theory

Euler’s theory
Ideally an axially loaded
column should not bend in
the lateral direction.
Following are the some of
the reasons which causes
such displacement.
i) Crookedness of the
column
ii) Small imperfections of
material during fabrication
due to which centroid of
some part does not coincide
with the geometric centre
of the column
iii) Unavoidable
eccentricities of the load
due to inaccuracies in
loading and construction.
Because of such lateral displacement bending
moment develops. This
bending moment causes additional stresses. As
the load is increased
lateral displacement also increases which in turn
increases bending
stresses. This results into the failure of a column
at a load much smaller
than its crushing load ie column tends to buckle
prior to the crushing of
the material.
This type of failure of columns due to excessive
displacement is called
buckling failure.

Buckling- typ column

 Buckling load depends upon
a) slenderness ratio
b) length of the column
c) end conditions

thus, Euler’s theory is used to determine the Critical

load for long column
Critical load, Pcr= Π2EI
(Le)2

E= Youngs modulus
I=Moment of
Inertia Le=
Effective length
Assumptions of Eulers Column Theory

1. The column is initially straight and is loaded axially

2. Cross section of column is uniform throughout its length
3.The material of the column is homogenous, isotropic
and elastic and thus obeys hooks law
4. The column fails by buckling alone
5. The self weight of the column is negligible
Rankine’s Theory
EULER’S THEORY
IS NOT VALID
FOR SMALLER
SLENDER RATIOS
EULERS THEORY DOES NOT INCORPORATE THE EFFECT OF AXIAL COMPRESSIVE
STRESS HENCE APPLICABLE FOR LONG COLUMN ONLY

THUS RANKINES PROPOSED AN EMPIRICAL FORMULA BOTH FOR LONG AND

SHORT COLUMNS
1 = 1+ 1
PR PC PE
PC= CRUSHING LOAD= ƒc. A
PE= EULERS BUCKLING LOAD
* FOR SHORT COLUMNS,

PE WILL BE VERY LARGE. 1/PE <<<<< IN COMPARISON WITH

1/PC THUS, PR=PC

* FOR LONG COLUMNS,

PE WILL BE VERY SMALL. 1/PE >>>>>>>> IN COMPARISON WITH

1/PC THUS, PR=PE
THUS RANKINES FORMULA IS APPLICABLE FOR LONG AND SHORT COLUMNS
BOTH PR= ƒc. A
1 + α (Le/k)2
α = RANKINES
 RANKINES CONSTANT CONSTANT
FOR
GIVEN MATERIAL
MATERIAL CRUSHING STRESS, RANKINES
ƒc CONSTANT,
α
MILD STEEL 320 1/7500

CAST IRON 550 1/1600

WROUGHT IRON 250 1/9000

TIMBER 50 1/750