1) Biaxial bending in columns creates a resultant force that could cause buckling if great enough. It is important to accurately model bending moments in both the major and minor axes during design.
2) Different codes of practice treat biaxial bending differently for different materials. Steel codes consider bending capacity in each axis combined. Concrete codes treat each bending axis separately.
3) In addition to bending from connecting structures, columns can experience direct bending from applied lateral loads, requiring consideration of deflection and eccentricity during design.
1) Biaxial bending in columns creates a resultant force that could cause buckling if great enough. It is important to accurately model bending moments in both the major and minor axes during design.
2) Different codes of practice treat biaxial bending differently for different materials. Steel codes consider bending capacity in each axis combined. Concrete codes treat each bending axis separately.
3) In addition to bending from connecting structures, columns can experience direct bending from applied lateral loads, requiring consideration of deflection and eccentricity during design.
1) Biaxial bending in columns creates a resultant force that could cause buckling if great enough. It is important to accurately model bending moments in both the major and minor axes during design.
2) Different codes of practice treat biaxial bending differently for different materials. Steel codes consider bending capacity in each axis combined. Concrete codes treat each bending axis separately.
3) In addition to bending from connecting structures, columns can experience direct bending from applied lateral loads, requiring consideration of deflection and eccentricity during design.
1) Biaxial bending in columns creates a resultant force that could cause buckling if great enough. It is important to accurately model bending moments in both the major and minor axes during design.
2) Different codes of practice treat biaxial bending differently for different materials. Steel codes consider bending capacity in each axis combined. Concrete codes treat each bending axis separately.
3) In addition to bending from connecting structures, columns can experience direct bending from applied lateral loads, requiring consideration of deflection and eccentricity during design.
22 TheStructuralEngineer Technical January 2013 Technical Guidance Note
Biaxial bending in columns
Introduction ICON W Principles of biaxial bending It is very rare for a column to fail due to crushing of the material that it is formed LEGEND from. Buckling however, is the most common method of failure and it is for this reason that columns should always be designed to guard against it. W Applied practice With this in mind, the designer must do their utmost to accurately model the actions being applied to columns. If any actions that could increase the risk of buckling are ignored, then the column will likely be under-designed. W Further reading This Technical Guidance Note describes the concept of biaxial bending of columns, as well as the effect direct bending has on column design. The guidance given here can be applied to columns made from any material, be it W Web resources steel, concrete, timber or even glass. The principles remain the same.
Differences in approach Major axis
Principles of Steel bending biaxial bending When steel frames are constructed using simple pinned connections within a braced M y, Ed 1.5M z, Ed N Ed Biaxial bending to columns creates a system, bending occurs due to nominal + + # 1 resultant force within the column that could eccentricities at the beam-to-column | min (Af yd) | LT (W y f yd) W z f yd cause it to buckle, should the force within connections. BS EN 1993-1-1: Eurocode 3 – prove to be great enough (Figure 1). It is Design of Steel Structures Part 1-1: General Axial load Minor axis important therefore to model these bending Rules and Rules for Buildings uses the bending moments accurately and to consider them principle of treating each axis in combination during the design process. with one another, by comparing the bending that also considers the axial load capacity moment capacity of both axes against the of the column and adds them together. If applied bending moment (Figure 2). This is the result is less than 1, then the column is then placed within the expression: acceptable.
W Figure 2 Notional bending moments in steel columns
N Figure 1 A column being subjected to biaxial bending
Each code of practice for the column’s
material treats biaxial bending differently, but the principles of considering bending in both major and minor axis remain the same.
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"Concrete design is different in that it treats each axis of bending separately"
Eurocode 0. Applied practice
The applicable codes of practice for biaxial
bending in columns are as follows: E Figure 3 Biaxial bending in concrete columns BS EN 1992-1-1 Eurocode 2: Design of Concrete Structures – Part 1-1 General Rules Concrete and rules for buildings Concrete design is different in that it treats each axis of bending separately. In the BS EN 1993-1-1 Eurocode 3: Design of Steel design process, biaxial bending can be Structures – Part 1-1 General Rules and rules treated as a resultant bending moment for buildings within the column that it must be designed to withstand, provided certain geometric and magnitudes of bending moment criteria are met (Figure 3). This increases the bending Glossary and moment each axis has to be designed for. further reading You are directed to BS EN 1992-1-1: Eurocode 2 – Design of Concrete Structures Part 1-1: Biaxial – Both axes of an element General Rules and Rules for Buildings to find out more on how biaxial bending in Unity – Design check to determine whether reinforced concrete columns is treated. the combined resistances can support the applied loads Other materials such as timber treat biaxial bending in a similar way, with each bending Further Reading moment applied to the column orthogonally. The Institution of Structural Engineers This is partly due to the nature of the (2010) Manual for the design of steelwork connections within frames made from these building structures to Eurocode 3 London: materials, which are typically simple pinned The Institution of Structural Engineers connections. The Institution of Structural Engineers Direct bending to columns (2006) Manual for the design of concrete In addition to bending due to beams and building structures to Eurocode 2 London: floor structures framing into columns, it is The Institution of Structural Engineers also possible for a direct load to be applied that will cause a bending moment to occur The Institution of Structural Engineers/ (Figure 4). This can happen to columns TRADA (2007) Manual for the design of that are supporting cladding elements for timber building structures to Eurocode example. In such instances the designer 5 London: The Institution of Structural must consider the deflection of the column Engineers/TRADA when it is subjected to a lateral load and the eccentricity created. This results in an additional bending moment from the axial Eurocode 0. force being placed onto the column. All of Web this must be considered during the design resources of the column in order for it to be suitably designed to withstand the axial loads, The Institution of Structural Engineers library: notional bending moments and lateral loads. N Figure 4 Direct bending to a column www.istructe.org/resources-centre/library
