Elastic Critical Buckling Load by Second-Order Analysis (CSE573 Facade Engineering)

Simple Slender Column

Elastic Critical Buckling Load Pcr Pcr

Column Type Exact Single-element FEM Two-element FEM

 2 EI 9.87 EI 12EI 9.944EI

Pinned-Pinned 
L2 L2 L2 L2

2.04 2 EI 20.13EI 30EI 20.71EI

Pinned-Fixed  L
L2 L2 L2 L2

Fixed-Free  2 EI 2.467 EI 2.4860EI 2.4686EI


(Cantilever) 4L 2
L2 L2 L2

4 2 EI 39.48EI 40EI
Fixed-Fixed  No Solution Pcr
L2 L2 L2

Slender Column with Cross-Bracing

Assume members □
a and □
b are identical, and joint ○
2 is rigid.

Elastic Critical Buckling Load Pcr L

Joint ○
1 Joint ○
3 Exact Single-element FEM Two-element FEM Pcr

28.397EI 60EI 28.97EI b

Fixed Fixed 2
L2 L2 L2 3

26.958EI 52.5EI 27.546EI

Fixed Pinned L
L2 L2 L2 a

14.660EI 20EI 14.82EI

Pinned Fixed
L2 L2 L2 1
13.886EI 18.606EI 14.026EI
Pinned Pinned Pcr
L2 L2 L2

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