ME 2406: Strength of Materials

Buckling of Columns

Dr. Faraz Junejo

 Objectives
• Discuss the behavior of
columns.
• Discuss the buckling of
columns.
• Determine the axial load
needed to buckle an ideal
column.
 Critical Load
• Long slender members subjected to axial
compressive force are called columns.

• The lateral (or sideways ) deflection

that occurs is called buckling.

• The maximum axial load a column can

support when it is on the verge of
buckling is called the critical load, Pcr.

• Any additional loading will cause the

column to buckle and therefore
deflect laterally as shown in Figure b.
 IDEAL COLUMN WITH PIN SUPPORTS

• An ideal column is perfectly straight

before loading, made of homogeneous
material, and upon which the load is
applied through the centroid of the x-
section.
• We also assume that the material
behaves in a linear-elastic manner and
the column buckles or bends in a single
plane.
 IDEAL COLUMN WITH PIN SUPPORTS
• Smallest value of P is obtained for n = 1, so critical
load for column is  EI
2
Pcr  2
L
• This load is also referred to
as the Euler load. The
corresponding buckled
shape is defined by
x
  C1 sin
L
• C1 represents maximum
deflection, max, which occurs
at midpoint of the column.
 IDEAL COLUMN WITH PIN SUPPORTS
• A column will buckle about the principal axis of the
x-section having the least moment of inertia
(weakest axis).

• For example, the meter stick shown will

buckle about the a-a axis and not
the b-b axis.

• Thus, circular tubes made excellent

columns, and square tube or those
shapes having Ix ≈ Iy are selected
for columns.
 IDEAL COLUMN WITH PIN SUPPORTS

• Buckling eqn for a pin-supported long slender

column, 2
 EI
Pcr 
L2

Pcr = critical or maximum axial load on column just

before it begins to buckle. This load must not cause
the stress in column to exceed proportional limit.
E = modulus of elasticity of material
I = Least moment of inertia for column’s x-sectional
area.
L = unsupported length of pinned-end columns.
 IDEAL COLUMN WITH PIN SUPPORTS

• Expressing I = Ar2 where A is x-sectional area of

column and r is the radius of gyration of x-sectional
area.  2E
 cr 
L r 2
cr = critical stress, an average stress in column just
before the column buckles. This stress is an elastic
stress and therefore cr  Y
E = modulus of elasticity of material
L = unsupported length of pinned-end columns.
r = smallest radius of gyration of column, determined
from r = √(I/A), where I is least moment of inertia of
column’s x-sectional area A.
 IDEAL COLUMN WITH PIN SUPPORTS

• The geometric ratio L/r in Eqn is known as the

slenderness ratio.

• It is a measure of the column’s flexibility and will be

used to classify columns as long, intermediate or
short.
 Critical load vs Slenderness ratio
• Euler load equations are hyperbolic equations and are valid for
critical stresses below the materials yield point.
 IDEAL COLUMN WITH PIN SUPPORTS
IMPORTANT
• Columns are long slender members that are
subjected to axial loads.

• Critical load is the maximum axial load that a

column can support when it is on the verge of
buckling.

• This loading represents a case of neutral

equilibrium.
 IDEAL COLUMN WITH PIN SUPPORTS
IMPORTANT
• An ideal column is initially perfectly straight, made
of homogeneous material, and the load is applied
through the centroid of the x-section.
• A pin-connected column will buckle about the
principal axis of the x-section having the least
moment of intertia.
• The slenderness ratio L/r, where r is the smallest
radius of gyration of x-section. Buckling will occur
about the axis where this ratio gives the greatest
value.
 EXAMPLE : 1
A 7.2-m long A-36 steel tube
having the x-section shown is to
be used a pin-ended column.
Determine the maximum
allowable axial load the column
can support so that it does not
buckle. Est = 200 GPa and Y =
250 MPa
 EXAMPLE : 1 (contd.)
Use Equation 13-5 i.e. Euler Formula to obtain critical load
with Est = 200 GPa.
For hollow circular x-section, I = π/64 (do4 - di4 )= π/4 (ro4 - ri4 )

 2 EI
Pcr 
L2
 20010
2 9
 N/m 21
4
  
 0.0754  0.0704 m 4

7.2 m 2
 228.2 kN
 EXAMPLE : 1 (contd.)
This force creates an critical compressive stress in
the column of

Pcr 228.2 103 N

 cr  

A  0.075   0.070 m
2 2 2

 100.2 MPa  100 MPa

Since cr < Y = 250 MPa, application of Euler’s

equation is appropriate to compute largest axial load
i.e.228.2 kN in this case.
 EXAMPLE : 2
The A-36 steel W20046 member shown is to be
used as a pin-connected column. Determine the
largest axial load it can support
before it either begins to buckle
or the steel yields. Est = 200 GPa
and Y = 250 MPa
 EXAMPLE : 2 (contd.)
From table in Appendix B, column’s x-sectional area
and moments of inertia are A = 5880 mm2,
Ix = 45.8106 mm4,and Iy = 15.4106 mm4.
By inspection, buckling will occur about the y-y axis.
Applying Euler Equation, we have
 2 EI
Pcr 
L2
 2 200109  N/m 2 15.410 6  m 4 

4 m  2

 1900.4 kN
 EXAMPLE : 2 (contd.)
When fully loaded, average compressive critical stress
in column is
Pcr 1900.4 kN
 cr  
A 5880 10 6 m 2
 323.19 106 N/m 2  323.2MPa

Since this stress exceeds yield stress (250 MPa), the

load P is determined from simple compression
formula:

P
250 10 N/m 
6 2

5880 10 6 m 2
P  1470 kN
 Exercise: 13.5
An A-36 steel (E = 200GPa) column has a length of
4 m and is pinned at both ends. If the cross sectional
area has the dimensions shown, determine the
critical load. Y = 250 MPa

Answer: Since cr = 20.65 MPa < Y = 250

MPa, application of Euler’s equation is
appropriate to compute largest axial load
i.e. 22.7 kN in this case.
 Exercise: 13.7
A column is made of A-36 steel (E = 29000 ksi),
has a length of 20 ft, and is pinned at both ends. If
the cross-sectional area has the dimensions shown,
determine the critical load. Y = 36 ksi

Answer: Since cr = 27.4 ksi < Y = 36 ksi,

application of Euler’s equation is
appropriate to compute largest axial load
i.e. 157.7 kip in this case.
 Exercise: 13.12
An A-36 (E = 29000 ksi), steel column has a length
of 15 ft and is pinned at both ends. If the cross-
sectional area has the dimensions shown, determine
the critical load. Y = 36 ksi

Answer: Since cr = 34.32 ksi < Y = 36

ksi, application of Euler’s equation is
appropriate to compute largest axial load
i.e. 377.5 kip in this case.
 Effective Lengths of Columns
• The critical loads for
columns with various
support conditions can be
related to the critical load of
a pinned-end column
through the concept of an
effective length.

• To demonstrate this idea,

consider the deflected
shape of a column fixed at
the base and free at the top
(Fig. 11-16a) with deflection
curve for a pinned-end
column top (Fig. 11-16b).
• Consider the deflected shape of a
column fixed at the base and free at
the top(Fig. 11-16a).
• This column buckles in a curve that
is one-quarter of a complete sine
wave.
• If we extend the deflection curve
(Fig. 11-16b), it becomes one half
of a complete sine wave, which is
the deflection curve for a pinned-
end column.

Therefore, the effective length Le for any column is the

length of the equivalent pinned-end column, that is, it is the
length of a pinned-end column having a deflection curve
that exactly matches all or part of the deflection curve of
the original column.
 Effective Lengths of Columns (contd.)
• Another way of expressing this idea is to say that the
effective length of a column is the distance between points
of inflection (that is; points of zero moment) in its deflection
curve, assuming that the curve is extended (if necessary)
until points of inflection are reached. Thus, for a fixed-free
column (Fig. 11-16), the effective length is Le = 2L

• Because the effective length is the length of an equivalent

pinned end column, we can write a general formula for
critical loads as follows:
 Effective Lengths of Columns (contd.)
• If we know the effective length of a column (no matter
how complex the end conditions may be), we can
substitute into the preceding equation and determine
the critical load.

• For instance, in the case of a fixed-free column, we can

substitute Le = 2L

• The effective length is often expressed in terms of an

effective length factor (K) i.e. Le = KL where L is the
actual length of the column.
 2 EI
• Thus, the critical load is given by Pcr  13 -11
KL 2
 COLUMNS HAVING VARIOUS TYPES OF SUPPORTS

Effective length
• If a column is not supported by pinned-ends,
then Euler’s formula can also be used to
determine the critical load.
• “L” must then represent the distance between
the zero-moment points.
• This distance is called the columns’ effective
length, Le.
 COLUMNS HAVING VARIOUS TYPES OF SUPPORTS

Effective length
 COLUMNS HAVING VARIOUS TYPES OF SUPPORTS

Effective length
• Many design codes provide column formulae that
use a dimensionless coefficient K, known as the
effective-length factor.
Le  KL 13 - 10
• Thus, Euler’s formula can be expressed as
 2 EI
Pcr  13 - 11
 KL 
2

 2E
 cr  13 - 12
 KL r  2
 COLUMNS HAVING VARIOUS TYPES OF SUPPORTS

Effective length
• Here (KL/r) is the column’s effective-slenderness
ratio.
 Exercise: 13.6
An A-36 steel (E = 200GPa) column has a length of
4 m and is fixed at its bottom and pinned at its top.
If the cross sectional area has the dimensions
shown, determine the critical load. Y = 250 MPa

Hint: k = 0.7

Answer: Since cr = 42.15 MPa < Y = 250

MPa, application of Euler’s equation is
appropriate to compute largest axial load
i.e. 46.4 kN in this case.
 Exercise: 13.8
A column is made of A-36 steel (E = 29000 ksi),
has a length of 20 ft, and is fixed at its bottom and
pinned at its top. If the cross-sectional area has the
dimensions shown, determine the critical load. Y =
36 ksi

Answer: Since cr = 9.1 ksi < Y = 36 ksi,

application of Euler’s equation is
appropriate to compute largest axial load
i.e. 52.3 kip in this case.
 Exercise: 13.9
The W 14 X 38 column is made of A-36 (E =
29000 ksi), steel and is fixed supported at its
base. If it is subjected to an axial load of
determine the factor of safety with respect to
buckling. Y = 36 ksi
 Exercise: 13.9 (contd.)
• From the table in appendix, the cross-sectional area
and moment of inertia about weak axis (y-axis) for
W 14 X 38 are:
A = 11.2 in2 Iy = 26.7 in4
• The column is fixed at its base and free at top (i.e. k = 2).
Note that the column will buckle about the weak axis (y
axis) in this case.
Using Euler’s formula yiels Pcr = 33.17 kip; hence the factor of safety
with respect to buckling is n = 33.17/15 = 2.21 (Ans)

Since cr = 2.96 ksi < Y = 36 ksi, application of Euler’s equation is

appropriate
 Exercise: 13.13
An A-36 steel column has a length of 5 m and
is fixed at both ends. If the cross-sectional area
has the dimensions shown, determine the
critical load.

Hint: k = 0.5

Answer: Since cr = 105 MPa < Y = 250

MPa, application of Euler’s equation is
appropriate to compute largest axial load
i.e. 272.1 kN in this case.