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Lecture 7 - Columns

The document discusses different types and analysis of columns. It describes short, long, and intermediate columns and their failure modes. It provides Euler's formula for calculating the critical buckling load of columns with different end conditions. It also discusses the concept of slenderness ratio and provides an example problem.

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sounohoney2000
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11 views

Lecture 7 - Columns

The document discusses different types and analysis of columns. It describes short, long, and intermediate columns and their failure modes. It provides Euler's formula for calculating the critical buckling load of columns with different end conditions. It also discusses the concept of slenderness ratio and provides an example problem.

Uploaded by

sounohoney2000
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CE-103

MECHANICS OF SOLIDS -I
Columns
Dr. Junaid Ahmad
NICE, SCEE, NUST
Columns
A Structural Member that
carries compressive axial
load.

Disambiguation:
Column, pier, pillar

as an ornament or monument

Specific to bridges
Types of columns
Generally 3 types based on how they fail
1 Short Columns Failure is crushing (or yielding) even if the load is
applied eccentrically
2 Long Columns Failure is buckling, can occur at stresses much
smaller than yield stress/proportional limit
3 Intermediate columns Failure is combination of crushing and buckling.
Empirical formulae used to analyze them
Analysis of columns
Columns can be treated as beams subjected to axial loading, and bending, but
now, the effect of lateral deflections on equilibrium is not ignored anymore.
CRITICAL LOAD Pcr:
Moment applied to reach max displacement within proportionality
Axial load applied and moment reduced gradually
Point where the deflection maintains and M=0,
The axial load is called critical load or buckling load

Further increase in axial load, increases the deflection catastrophically


Reducing axial load straightens the column. Critical load is max load that a column can
carry while remaining straight.
But the lateral stiffness is zero when P=Pcr i.e. any small lateral load will cause lateral def.
Euler’s Formula
The critical load can be determined from the formula derived by Leonhard
Euler (in 1757) based on diff. equation of the elastic curve.
(Case for both ends pinned)
𝑑2 𝑣 𝑀
2
=
𝑑𝑥 𝐸𝐼
𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼
𝑃𝑐𝑟 = 2
𝐿
Euler’s Formula
Both ends fixed
𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼 𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼 𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼
𝑃𝑐𝑟 = 2 = 2 = 4 𝐿2
𝐿𝑒 𝐿
2
Cantilever Column

𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼 1 𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼
𝑃𝑐𝑟 = 2 =
𝐿𝑒 4 𝐿 2
Propped Cantilever
𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼 𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼 𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼
𝑃𝑐𝑟 = 2 = 2
≈2 2
𝐿𝑒 0.7𝐿 𝐿
Euler’s Formula
The critical load can be determined from the formula derived by Leonhard
Euler (in 1757) based on diff. equation of the elastic curve.
𝑑2 𝑣 𝑀
2
=
𝑑𝑥 𝐸𝐼
𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼 𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼
𝑃𝑐𝑟 = 2 = 𝑁 2
𝐿𝑒 𝐿

End Condition N – No. of times strength Le = Effective length


of hinged column
Both ends Fixed 4 1/2L
Fixed-hinged 2 0.7L
Both ends hinged 1 L
Fixed-free (cantilever) ¼ 2L
Discussion on Critical Loads
𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼
𝑃𝑐𝑟 = 2
𝐿𝑒
The equation above shows that Pcr does not depend on the strength of the material but only the
modulus of elasticity and dimensions.
Therefore two columns dimensionally same but with different strengths will buckle at the same Pcr.
The critical load obtained from the above equation is only meaningful if the stress at buckling does
not exceed the proportional limit.
The stress in the column just before it buckles may be found by substituting I=Ar2.
𝑃𝑐𝑟 𝜋2𝐸
𝜎𝑐𝑟 = =
𝐴 𝐿𝑒 2
𝑟
Where r is the least radius of gyration, σcr is the critical stress and Le/r is the slenderness ratio.
Thus, Pcr is the maximum sustainable load if σcr<σpl, where pl refers to proportional limit.
Discussion on Critical Loads
Long columns are columns with σcr less than σpl.
Therefore, the dividing line between long and intermediate columns is the slenderness ratio that satisfies
𝑃𝑐𝑟 𝜋 2𝐸
𝜎𝑐𝑟 = =
𝐴 𝐿𝑒 2
𝑟
This limiting slenderness ratio varies with different materials and even with different grades of the same
material.
For example, for steel that has a proportional limit of 200 MPa and a modulus of elasticity E = 200 GPa, the
limiting slenderness ratio is
𝐿𝑒 2 𝜋 2 𝐸 𝜋 2 (200 × 109 )
= = 6
≈ 10,000
𝑟 𝜎𝑝𝑙 200 × 10
𝐿𝑒
≈ 100
𝑟
Hence, the load-carrying capacity of a steel column is determined by the critical stress only if Le=r >
100
Discussion on Critical Loads
In the plot, the critical stress rapidly decreases as the slenderness ratio increases
It must be pointed out in the Fig that the stress is at failure, not the working stress. Therefore, it is
necessary to divide the critical stress by a suitable factor of safety to obtain the allowable stress (to
cater for unavoidable imperfections always present in a real column, such as manufacturing flaws
and eccentricity of loading).

A column always tends to buckle in the direction that offers the least resistance to bending. For this
reason, buckling occurs about the axis that yields the largest slenderness ratio Le=r, which is usually
the axis of least moment of inertia of the cross section.
Example
A W6x15 steel column is 24 ft long and is fixed at its ends as shown in Fig. Its
load-carrying capacity is increased by bracing it about the y–y (weak) axis
using struts that are assumed to be pin connected to its mid-height. Determine
the load it can support so that the column does not buckle nor the
material exceed the yield stress. The area of cross-section
is 4.43 in2
Take
• Effective length about x-x axis
• Effective length about y-y axis
By comparison, buckling will occur about the y–y axis.

Since this stress is less than the yield stress, buckling will occur before the material yields

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