Column Buckling

The term column is applied to a member that carries a

compressive axial load. Columns are generally subdivided into
the following three types according to how they fail:
• Short columns fail by crushing (e.g.,
(e g yielding).
yielding)
• Long columns fail by buckling. If the axial load is increased to
a critical
i i l value,
l theh initially
i i i ll straight
i h shape
h off a slender
l d column
l
becomes unstable, causing the column to deflect laterally and
eventually
t ll collapse.
ll This
Thi phenomenon,
h which
hi h is
i known
k as
buckling, can occur at stresses that are smaller (often much
smaller) than the yield stress or the proportional limit
limit.
• Intermediate columns fail by a combination of crushing and
b kli Because
buckling. B off its
i difficult
diffi l intermediate
i di columns
l are
designed using empirical formulas derived from experiments.
Critical Load
Figure 10.2 shows an idealized model of a simply supported
column. When the end moments M0 are applied, the column
deflects laterally, with the maximum displacement max being
proportional to M0. Now suppose that we gradually apply the
axial load P while at the same time decreasing the end moments
so that the maximum displacement max does not change.
change
When the end moments become zero,
max is
i maintained
i t i d byb the
th axial
i l load
l d
alone. The axial load required to hold
th column
the l in
i its
it deflected
d fl t d position
iti
without any lateral loading is called the
critical
i i l load,
l d or buckling
b kli load,
l d andd isi
denoted by Pcr.
Any increase in the axial load beyond Pcr increases the
deflection max catastrophically, causing the column to fail. The
critical load can thus be defined as the maximum axial load that
a column can carry and still remain straight. However, at the
critical load,
load the straight position of the column is unstable
because the smallest sideways force would cause the column to
deflect laterally.
laterally In other words,
words the lateral stiffness of the
column is zero when P = Pcr.
In summary, buckling is an instability of equilibrium in
structures that occurs from compressive loads. A structure or its
components may fail due to buckling at loads that are far
smaller than those that produce material strength failure.
Column is a long straight member
subjected to axially compressive forces.
Railroad tracks have been
observed to buckle during
a heat wave. Axial force
had built up to excessive
levels because of thermal
expansion and axial
constraint at some points.
Buckling demonstrations in a laboratory.
The formula for the critical loads of a column is known as
Euler’s formula which was derived in 1757 by Leonhard Euler,
the great Swiss mathematician. Euler’s analysis was based on
the differential equation of the elastic curve
d 2v M
2
 (a )
dx EI
Consider an ideal simply supported column AB
subjected
bj d to the
h axial
i l load
l d P as shown.
h The
Th
equilibrium equation gives M = -Pv. Substitute
into Eq. (a) yields
d 2v P
2
 v0 ((b)
dx EI
The solution of Eq. (b) is
 P   P 
v  C1 sin  x   C2 cos x  (c)
 EI   EI 
Using boundary conditions, the constant of integration, C1 and
C2, can be determined which are
C2  0
and
 PL2 
0  C1 sin   (d )
 EI 
 
From Eq. (d), C1 = 0 is a trivial solution. So that we interest
other solutions which are
 2
EI
Pn 2
2
(n  0, 1, 2, 3,...) (e)
L
The bucklingg load is obtained byy settingg n = 1 ((the minimum
value and non-trivial of n), yielding Euler’s formula:
 2 EI
Pcr  2
(10.1)
L
The corresponding equation of the elastic curve,
called the mode shape, is
x
v  C1 sin
L
as shown. The constant C1 is indeterminate,
implying that the magnitude of the displacement
is arbitrary.
The buckling loads of columns with other end
supports can then be determined by substitute
their boundary conditions into Eq. (c).
The effective length Le is the distance between points on the
column where the moment is zero, corresponding to the end
conditions of the standard pinned-pinned column. Zero moment
also occurs when the curvature of the column is zero (is changing
sign). We can find the effective length by equating the right-hand
parts of the latter buckling load equations to Eq. (10.1). The
buckling load equation can be rewritten in the form
 2 EI
Pcr  2
(10.5)
Le

where for pinned-pinned column: Le = L

f fixed-free
for fi d f column:
l Le = 2L
for fixed-fixed column: Le = L/2
for fixed-pinned column: Le = 0.7L
For structural design, we substitute I = Ar2 into Eq. (10.5),
where A is the cross-sectional area and r is the least radius of
gyration of the cross section. This substitution yields
Pcr  2E
 cr   (10.6)
A ( Le / r ) 2
where cr is called the critical stress and the ratio Le/r is known
as the slenderness ratio of the column. Thus, Pcr should be
interpreted as the maximum sustainable load only if cr < pl,
where ppl is the proportional limit of the material.
The dividing line between long and intermediate columns is the
slenderness ratio that satisfies Eq
Eq. (10 6) when cr = pll. This
(10.6)
limiting slenderness ratio varies with different materials and
even with different grades of the same materials
materials.
For example, for steel that has a proportional limit of 200 MPa
and a modulus of elasticity E = 200 GPa,
GPa the limiting
slenderness ratio is
 Le   E  (200  10 )
2 2 2 9
Le
     10000  100
 r   pl 200  10 6
r
For slenderness ratios below this value,
value the critical stress given
by Eq. (10.6) exceeds the proportional limit of the material.
Hence the load-carrying
Hence, load carrying capacity of a steel column is
determined by the critical stress only if Le/r > 100 as illustrated.
B kli occurs about
Buckling b t the
th
axis that yields the largest
slenderness
l d ratio
i Le/r,
/
which is usually the axis
of least moment of inertia
of the cross section.
Example 74 A steel column (E = 200 GPa) built into the ground has
l th L = 2.0
length 2 0 m and
d supports t an axial
i l compressive
i load
l d P.
P The
Th
dimensions of the cross section are b = 50 mm and d = 100 mm as
shown Determine (a) the force to buckle the column Pcr and (b) the
shown.
buckling strength cr. (c) If the factor of safety against buckling is
FS = 2.0,
2 0 determine the allowable compressive force Pa.
Example 75 The 12-m-long steel column is an S310  74
section
i that
h is
i built
b il in
i at both
b h ends.
d The
Th midpoint
id i off theh column
l
is braced by two cables that prevent displacement in the x-
direction. Determine the critical value of the axial load P. Use
E = 200 GPa for steel.
Example 76 Show that the critical change of temperature at
which
hi h the
h bbeam shown
h iin the
h figure
fi will
ill buckle
b kl isi given
i by
b the
h
equation below.
Example 77 Two brass rods used as compression members,
each
h off 33-m effective
ff i length,
l h have
h the
h cross sections
i shown.
h (a)
( )
Determine the wall thickness of the hollow square rod for which
the rods have the same cross-sectional area. (b) Using E = 105
GPa, determine the critical load of each rod.
Example 78 A column of effective length L can be made by
gluing
l i together
h identical
id i l planks
l k ini either
i h off the
h arrangements
shown. Determine the ratio of the critical load using the
arrangement a to the critical load using the arrangement b.
Example 79 A hollow, circular structural steel column 6 m long
h an outside
has id diameter
di off 125 mm andd an iinside
id diameter
di off
100 mm. Determine (a) the slenderness ratio, (b) the smallest
slenderness ratio for which the Euler buckling load equation is
valid, and (c) the Euler buckling load. This column has simply-
supported ends.
Example 80 From the figure, determine (a) the critical load for
the
h square strut, (b) the
h radius
di off the
h roundd strut for
f which
hi h both
b h
struts have the same critical load. (c) Express the cross-sectional
area of the square strut as a percentage of the cross-sectional
area of the round strut.
Use E = 200 GPa.