Buckling of Euler Column

Problem:
An Euler column with one end fixed and one end free is to be made of an aluminum alloy (E = 71 GPa). The cross sectional area of the column is 600 mm2 and the column is 2.5 m long. Determine the column buckling load corresponding to the following shapes: a) A solid round bar b) A square bar

Joseph Shigley and Charles Mischke. Mechanical Engineering Design 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, May 2002.

Buckling of Euler Column

Overview

Anticipated time to complete this tutorial: 30 minutes

Tutorial Overview
This tutorial is divided into six parts: 1) Tutorial Basics 2) Problem Planning 3) Preprocessing 4) Solution 5) Post-Processing 6) Hand Calculations

Audience
This tutorial assumes an intermediate knowledge of ANSYS 8.0; therefore, it goes into moderate detail to explain each step. A problem planning section has been added to help set up the problem. More advanced ANSYS 8.0 users should be able to complete this tutorial fairly quickly.

Prerequisites
1) ANSYS 8.0 in house Structural Tutorial 2) Completion of three or more Basic Machine Design Tutorials

Objectives
1) Construct a plan for solving the problem 2) Build and solve an Ansys model 3) Reuse model with minor alterations to solve a similar problem

Outcomes
1) Learn how to set up the problem before starting Ansys 2) Increase familiarity with the graphical user interface (GUI) 3) Learn how to create and mesh more complex geometries 4) Increase familiarity with post processing tools

Buckling of Euler Column

Tutorial Basics
In this tutorial: Instructions appear on the left. Visual aids corresponding to the text appear on the right. All commands on the toolbars are labeled. However, only operations applicable to the tutorial are explained. The instructions should be used as follows: Bold > Text in bold are buttons, options, or selections that the user needs to click on > Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/DeleteFile would mean to follow the options as shown to the right to get you to the Element Types window Text in italics are hints and notes Click on the left mouse button Click on the middle mouse button Click on the right mouse button

Example:

Italics

MB1 MB2 MB3

Some basic ANSYS functions are: To rotate the models use Ctrl and MB3. To zoom use Ctrl and MB2 and move the mouse up and down. To translate the models use Ctrl and MB1.

Buckling of Euler Column

Problem Planning
Take a few minutes to plan out your solution to this problem. Your plan should include some of the following items: 1) Obtain all necessary known information. Constant, c, for fixed-free end conditions: E for the aluminum alloy: Length of the column: Poisson's Ratio: Cross sectional area: 4) Determine the best way to apply forces and constraints to the column. Since the column is fixed-free, one end of the column will need to have all of its degrees of freedom constrained and the other end needs to be free to move. The force should be applied to the free end. What force to apply to solve a buckling problem will be given in the tutorial. 5) Determine the best way to solve the first model and then modify it to solve the second. Part (a) of the problem wants you to solve the problem for a solid round bar and Part (b) wants you to solve it for a solid square bar. Note that the only change from solving one to solving the other is that (a) has a different cross sectional area then (b). Hence, a new model does not need to be created from scratch to solve (b), but the model used to solve (a) can be reused with a few minor modifications.

2) Plan a simple, representative geometry. A solid 3D model of the column is not needed. A 2D model using just keypoints and lines will suffice if an element is chosen that can represent the cross sectional properties (area, area moment of inertia, etc.) of the column. The column could be built in either the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. 3) Contemplate an appropriate element for the mesh. Since you are creating a 2D model that represents a 3D model, you need 2D elements that can represent cross sectional properties. Elements listed under the Beam category (possibly use Beam3) have been used in other tutorials for this purpose. Choose an appropriate mesh size so there is a reasonable number of elements in the mesh. It is not always clear what a reasonable number of elements is. This usually comes with experience, but, for example, you would not want to use 20,000 elements (which could take a long time for the computer to solve) when 10 elements will suffice. 4

Buckling of Euler Column

Preprocessing
1) Change the working directory, jobname, and title of your project. 2) Set Preferences to Structural. 3) Add a Beam3 element. 4) Set the Real Constants for Beam3. Cross sectional area: 0.0006 Area moment of inertia: 2.86e-8 Total beam height: 0.02764 4) Create a Material Model. E: 71e9 PRXY: .3 5) Create two Keypoints. KP1: (0,0,0) KP2: (0,2.5,0) 6) Create a Line between keypoint one and two. 7) Change the Number of element divisions to 10. > Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > Manual Size > Lines > All Lines 8) Mesh the line (use > Mesh > Lines command) Your model should look similar to the picture shown to the right:

Buckling of Euler Column

Preprocessing
9) Apply Structural Displacement constraint to the bottom keypoint. Constrain all of its degrees of freedom. 10) Apply a Structural Force on the top keypoint. Give it a value of 1 and put it in the negative Y direction. (i.e. a value of -1) Your model should now look like the picture shown to the right.

Buckling of Euler Column

Solution
The model is ready to solve. To get the critical buckling load the solution must be done in steps. 11) > Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis Select static and click ok. 12) Open up the unabridged menu and then open the analysis options. Select to include Prestresses. > Solution > Unabridged Menu then > Solution > Analysis Type > Analysis Options then next to stress stiffness or prestress select Prestress ON 13) Solve the model > Solution > Solve > Current LS 14) When it is done solving select Finish > Main menu > Finish 15) Setup the system to find the critical loads. > Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis Select Eigen Buckling and click ok. Close any warning message that may have appeared when you clicked New Analysis. 16) Set up the buckling options > Solution > Analysis Type > Analysis Options Select Block Lanczos and put a value of 1 for the number of modes to extract 17) Solve the model again > Solution > Solve > Current LS

Buckling of Euler Column

Solution
18) When it is done solving select Finish > Main menu > Finish 19) Set up an expansion pass to extract the critical load data > Solution > Load Step Opts > Expansion Pass > Single Expand > Expand Modes put a 1 in the number of modes to expand 20) Solve the model for the last time > Solution > Solve > Current LS

Buckling of Euler Column

Post Processing
21) Use the post processing tools to get the load value > General Postproc > List Results > Detailed Summary The value of the critical load is 801.65 N. This is the solution for part (a). Part (b) can be easily solved by reusing the model from part (a) with a slight modification. The only thing that needs to be changed in the part (a) model is the Real Constant properties. 22) Change the Real Constant values of the model. New Values Cross sectional area: 0.0006 Area moment of inertia: 3e-8 Total beam height: 0.024495 23) Repeat steps 11 - 21 to get the value of the critical load for part (b). The value of the critical load for part (b) is 840.89 N.

Buckling of Euler Column

Hand Calculations
The critical load (Pcr) for Euler buckling is given by: Pcr = c 2 EI L2 Now solve for I, then Pcr

(.02764 ) 4 64 I = 2.86e 8
I= Pcr = (2.803e10 )( 2.86e 8 ) Pcr = 803 N

Where: C = constant for conditions at the end of the column E = youngs modulus I = the area moment of inertia L = is the length of the column For this problem: C = .25 (for a fixed -free column) E = 71 Gpa I is determined by the shape L = 2.5 m

b) Solid Square bar I is given by: a4 I= 12 To get a, use the known area A = a 2 = .0006 m 2 a = .024495 m Now solve for I, then Pcr

2 (.25)(71GPa ) I Pcr = ( 2.5) 2

Pcr = 2.803e * I
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a) Solid Round bar I is given by: I=

(.024495 ) 4 12 8 I = 3e I= Pcr = (2.803e10 )(3e 8 ) Pcr = 841N

D 4 64

To get D, use the known area

2D A= = .0006 m 2 4 D = .02764 m

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