MECHANICS OF

MATERIALS
CHAPTER 9: BUCKLING OF COLUMNS
 LEARNING OUTCOME
• Describe the concept of columns in term of types of
column, cross-sectional of shapes, industry standard
application and slenderness ratio of column
• Illustrate, explain and differentiate the failure mode
of columns due to buckling
• Explain the influence of support conditions
• Relationship between the effective length and radius
of gyration
• Describe the compression member of long / slender
column
• Applied of the Euler formula to determine the critical
load for long columns
 What is column?
• A column is a relatively long, slender member loaded in
compression.
• A structural element that transmits through compression, the
weight of the structure above to other structural elements below.
• Columns are frequently used to support beams or arches on
which the upper parts of walls or ceilings rest.
• For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may
be designed to resist lateral forces
• When a perfect column is subjected
to a compressive axial force as
shown in Figure, the only
deformation that takes place is a
shortening of the column.
• For low values of F, if the column
were to be deflected laterally by a
force perpendicular to the column,
and the lateral force were thereafter
removed, the column would return
to its straight position, even with
the force F remaining in place.
• This indicates a condition of stability.

Figure 1
• If the load F were increased, there
is a value of F for which, when the
lateral load is removed, the column
would remain in the deformed
shape.
• This condition is referred to as
buckling and the column is said to
have failed from a structural
standpoint.
• Buckling can also be described in
simple terms as bending or
bowing of a column due to a
compressive load.

Figure 2
 TYPES OF COLUMN
• Slender column –slenderness ratio > 20 ; fail by buckling

• Short column- slenderness ratio < 20 ; Fail by shear

 CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE FOR
COLUMNS
• A column is slender when it has a "small" cross-section
compared to its effective length. Small is placed in quotes due
to the fact that the important information about the cross
section is both the actual size and more importantly, the shape
of the cross-section.
• This is then compared to the effective length to determine
whether or not the column is slender. If it is, this means that
the column will probably fail in bending! As a column is loaded,
it is likely to bend about the weak axis of the cross-section (the
one with the lowest Moment of Inertia). A column buckles
when it bends about an axis. This is a stability failure
tapered
rectangular
 INDUSTRY STANDARDS APPLY TO
COLUMNS
A vertical columns of steel-framed building
• Lower columns on multi-story building must be strong and
stiff enough to hold up all the weight above them
• Even in one-story building they must hold the roof structure
and load on top of that
A steel column holding up the beam across the length of the
basement of a home
• The beams support the joists from the floor above all the
weight of the
• The column carry that load to the basement floor/foundation
A cylinder rod of a hydraulic actuator
• Construction equipment- these cylinder rods push with great
force & they must be designed not to buckle
 SLENDERNESS RATIO

Slenderness ratio is a measure of how

long the column is compared to its
cross-section's effective width
(resistance to bending or buckling). The
slenderness ratio is the column's
effective length divided by the radius of
gyration.

Where r = √(I/A)
 FAILURE MODE OF COLUMN

What is Buckling?
• When a slender member is subjected to an axial
compressive load, it may fail by a condition called
buckling.
• Buckling is not a failure of the material itself (as is
yielding and fracture), but is due to geometric
instability of the system.
• Note that buckling is not dependent on material
strength.
ILLUSTRATION OF BUCKLING

The column will buckle if the load

applied, P is larger than Pcr
 Which axis the Column is buckled?

• Engineers usually try to achieve a balance, keeping the

moments of inertia the same in all directions.
COMPARISON OF SHAPES FOR BUCKLED COLUMN
INFLUENCE OF SUPPORT CONDITIONS - K
 EFFECTIVE LENGTH

• How a column is supported governs its

buckling strength. The effective length Le
accounts for differences in the end
supports.

What is the effective length?

• The effective length is the length the

column would be if it were to buckle as a
pinned-pinned column.
• A dimensionless coefficient K, effective-
length factor, is used to calculate Le
Le = KL
 Effective Lengths for Columns with Various End Conditions

End Condition Pinned-Pinned Fixed-Free Fixed-Fixed Fixed-Pinned

The effective length is

equal to the distance
between points in the
column where
moment = 0 (between
"pins"). This occurs
when the curvature of
the column changes.

The fixed-free column

is "mirrored" through
the fixed end to
visualize Le=2L.

Effective Length, Le L 2L 0.5L 0.7L

Relative Buckling
Strength 1 0.25 4 2
(~ 1/ Le2) for same L
 RADIUS OF GYRATION

• If all of the cross-sectional area A were massed a distance r

away from the bending axis, the idealized lumped-area cross-
section would have the same moment of inertia I as the actual
cross-section if:
I = Ar2
• Distance r is the radius of gyration. There generally two
bending axes to consider, and thus two radius of gyration:
 MAGNITUDE OF THE LOAD AT WHICH
BUCKLING WOULD OCCUR

• Columns are long slender members subjected to an axial

compressive force. Lateral deflection on a column is
called buckling. The maximum axial load that a column
can support when it is on the verge of buckling is called
the critical load Pcr
• FOS is a safety margin given in design so that the
member will not fail when the load is increased beyond
the elastic limit or when the size in reduced.
• Normally, the factors of safety varies between 1.4 to 3

Pult  ult
FOS = FOS =
Pall  all
 USE OF THE EULER FORMULA
• Euler Buckling Formula

• Both ends are pinned so they can freely rotate

and cannot resist a moment. The critical load
Pcr required to buckle the pinned-pinned
column is the

Buckled shape of a
pinned-pinned
column under
compressive force.
DERIVATION OF THE EULER FORMULA

 2 EI
Pcr = 2
Le
Pcr = the euler buckling load
E = Young' s modulus for the materials
I = the least second moment of area of the section
L e = effective length
Assumptions / limitation of the Euler formula

• Axially loaded column

• Column is perfectly straight
• Isotropic and homogeneous material
• Material behaves within elastic properties
• Both ends of column support are pinned
 4 EI
2
 EI
2
Pcr = 2 . 05 2
EI P =
0.25 EI
2 cr 2 2
L P = L
cr
L2 Pcr = 2
L
EXAMPLE 2
The uniform column AB of 2.5 m structural tubing having a cross
section shown in figure below. Point A and B is fixed and free
support respectively. Using Euler’s formula and factor of safety of
2, determine the allowable axial load for the column and the
corresponding normal stress. Take E = 200 GPa
y

100mm
A Given;
Area = 1900 mm2
Ix = Iy = 2.87 x 106 mm4
r = 38.86 mm

100mm x
L=2.5m

B Cross section
EXAMPLE 3
 Exercise

A partially restrained strut of steel (E=200 GPa) with

total length L= 6.5 m is constructed of circular tubing
with outsider diameter d=100mm. The strut must resist
an axial load Pall=150 kN with a factor of safety FOS of 2
with respect to buckling. Determine the required
thickness, t of the tube and critical buckling stress.
Try this
The column with length of 8 m to be designed for warehouse structure. The
steel column made from W150 x 18 are fixed supported at both ends. The
geometrical properties for each wide flange steel column is tabulated in Table.
Assume E = 200 GPa and σy = 450 MPa

a) Sketch the buckling shape of the column

b) Calculate the slenderness ratio
c) Determine the maximum load that can be supported if the FOS = 1.5
d) Determine the ratio of axial stress corresponding to the buckling load and
elastic strength of the materials.

Web
Designation Area, A Depth, D Ix-x Iy-y
Thickness
(mm x kg/m) (mm2) (mm) (x 106 mm4) (x 106 mm4)
(mm)
W150 x 18 2290 153 5.84 9.19 1.26
BUCKLING Behavior
 BraceD column
y
y
y x
x
x

Ix
rx =
A
Iy
ry =
A
 2 EI x
Pcrx = 2
Lex
 2 EI y
Pcry = 2
Ley
 EXAMPLE 4: LO 4

The aluminium column is fixed at its bottom and is braced at its top by cables so as
to prevent movement at the top along the x axis. If it is assumed to be fixed at its
base, determine the largest allowable load P that can be applied. Use a factor of
safety for buckling of FS = 3.0. Take Eal = 70GPa, σY = 215MPa, A = 7.5(10-3)m2,
Ix = 61.3(10-6)m4, Iy = 23.2(10-6)m4.
Example 5
Column AB consists of a W10 × 39. Determine the allowable
load, P if the column bracing is at the midpoint, C. Given; E = 200
GPa, A = 7420 mm2, FOS = 2, rx = 108 mm, ry = 50.3 mm
Figure shows the wide flange steel column with length of 8 m to be designed for
warehouse structure. The W310 x 21 steel column is design with fixed support at
the bottom and pinned at the top. The steel column also designed with braced at
x-x axis using struts that are assumed to be pin connected at the middle column.
The geometrical properties for each wide flange steel column is tabulated in
Table. Assume E = 200 GPa and σy = 450 MPa
a) Sketch the buckling shape of the column
b) Calculate the slenderness ratio of the column
c) Determine the maximum load that can be supported by the column if the
FOS = 1.5
d) Determine the ratio of axial stress corresponding to the buckling load and
elastic strength of the materials.

Web
Designation Area, A Depth, D Ix-x Iy-y
Thickness
(mm x kg/m) (mm2) (mm) (x 106 mm4) (x 106 mm4)
(mm)
W310 x 21 2680 303 5.08 37.0 0.99
THANK YOU