Buckling of struts

UG-Structural mechanics laboratory

STUDENT MANUAL
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY HYDERABAD

Buckling of struts-structural mechanics laboratory

BUCKLING OF STRUTS
Theory
A strut is a long thin compression member. It may collapse under a compressive
load by buckling and bowing out as shown in Fig.1. The diagram shows the member
with its length horizontal but it is just as likely to be vertical. It is drawn this way so that
the x-y coordinates are in the normal position at the left end. X measures the distance
along the length and Y is the deflection.

Figure. 1 Buckling of struts

A strut is usually defined by its slenderness ratio. This is defined as
Slenderness ratio=
L is the effective length
r is the radius of gyration for the cross sectional area.
The radius of gyration is defined as

I is the 2nd moment of area

A is the cross sectional area.
The force applied to a strut is in an axial direction (the x direction) and not transversely
(y direction) as it is for beams. Consider a long thin strut resting against a solid surface
at one end and with a screw device at the other as shown in Fig. 2. The distance from the
end is x and the deflection is y. When the screw is tightened, the strut is forced to
deflect sideways. The more the screw is turned the more the strut deflects. If the strut
bends as shown, there must be a bending moment and a bending stress in the material.
The applied bending moment is Fy. The force applied by the screw and the distance y
will increase as the bending moment increases. At some point it will be found that the
screw can be turned with no further increase in the force. This can be explained because
the increase in deflection alone is sufficient to produce the required increase in the
bending moment. The strut will go on bending until it fails (usually by exceeding the
yield stress in the material and leaving it permanently bent). When this point is reached
the strut has failed and the critical force Fc has been reached.

Buckling of struts-structural mechanics laboratory

Now consider a vertical strut with weights causing the compression. If the load is
critical; the strut will start to deflect. As the distance y increases so will the bending
moment. This in turn makes it deflects even further. This is a run-away or unstable
condition and the strut keeps on bending and fails. A strut is an unstable structure as
collapse is sudden and without warning.

Figure. 2 Buckling of struts

Description
The Buckling of Struts experiment consists of a back plate with a load cell at one end
and a device to load the struts at the top. There are five aluminium alloy struts included
in a holder on the back plate. The struts provided have an l/r ratio of between 520 and
870, which are impractical in real terms but have been designed to show the buckling
load (in accordance with Euler) and the deflected shape of the strut as clearly as
possible. Printed on the equipment are a number of equations and pieces of information
that you will find useful while using the equipment shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Buckling of struts-structural mechanics laboratory

Figure. 3 Buckling of struts Experimental set up

Buckling of struts-structural mechanics laboratory

Figure. 4 Buckling of struts experiment in the structures frame

In this experiment we will load struts until they buckle investigating the effect of the
length of the strut. To predict the buckling load we will use the Euler buckling formulae.
Critical to the use of the Euler formulae is the slenderness ratio, which is the ratio of
the length of the strut to its radius of gyration (l/r). The Euler formulae become
inaccurate for struts with a Slenderness ratio of less than 125 and this should be taken
into account in any design work. The struts provided have an l/r ratio of between 520
and 870 to show clearly the buckling load and the deflected shape of the struts. In
practice struts with an l/r ratio of more than 200 are of little use in real structures.

Buckling of struts-structural mechanics laboratory

We will use the Euler buckling formula for a strut:

Where:
Pe = Euler buckling load (N);
E = Youngs modulus (Nm2);
I = Second moment of area (m4);
L = Length of strut (m).
By referring to Figures 5A, 5B and 5C fit the struts in position corresponding to the end
conditions. Then calculate the cross sectional area and moment of inertia by measuring
the dimensions of the struts. Then follow the procedure for loading and calculate the
buckling load on the struts as given below.

Adjust the position of the sliding crosshead to accept the strut using the thumbnuts to
lock off the slider. Ensure that there is the maximum amount of travel available on the
hand wheel thread to compress the strut. Finally tighten the locking screws. Carefully
back off the hand wheel so that the strut is resting in the notch but not transmitting any
load; rezero the force meter using the front panel control.

Carefully start to load the strut. If the strut begins to buckle to the left, flick the strut to
the right and vice versa (this reduces any errors associated with the straightness of the
strut). Turn the hand wheel until there is no further increase in load (the load may peak
and then drop as it settles into the notches).

Record the final results in corresponding tables (Table1,2 & 3) under buckling load.
Repeat with strut numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 adjusting the crosshead as required to fit the
strut. Take more care with the longer struts, as the difference between the buckling load
and the load needed to obtain plastic deformation is quite small. Try loading each strut
several times until a consistent result for each strut is achieved.

Buckling of struts-structural mechanics laboratory

Figure.5 Buckling of struts experiment set up

A.Pinned-Pinned, B.Pinned-Fixed, C.Fixed-Fixed

Buckling load (N)

Strut ID

Length (mm)

1
2
3
4
5

320
370
420
470
520

Pe

Pe (T)

1/L2

Table 1 Results for Pinned-Pinned Condition

Buckling of struts-structural mechanics laboratory

Strut ID

Length (mm)

1
2
3
4
5

300
350
400
450
500

Buckling load (N)

Pe

Pe (T)

1/L2

Table 2 Results for Pinned-Fixed Condition

Strut ID

Length (mm)

1
2
3
4
5

280
330
380
430
480

Buckling load (N)

Pe

Pe (T)

1/L2

Table 3 Results for Fixed-Fixed Condition

Pe-Experimental Buckling load Pe (T)-Theoretical Buckling load
Examine the Euler buckling equation and select an appropriate parameter to establish a
linear relationship between the buckling load and the length of the strut (Hint:
remember , E and I are all constants).
Plot separate graphs of buckling load versus 1/L2 and calculate the gradient of each line.
Establish ratios between each end condition
Calculate the theoretical buckling load values and enter them in Tables. Plot a graph to
prove the relationship is linear. Compare your experimental value to those calculated
from the Euler formula by entering a theoretical line onto the graph.

Does the Euler formula predict the buckling load?

If the Experimental Buckling load (Pe) and Theoretical Buckling load (Pe (T)) are
not same, Give your comments for that.
Why the buckling load is varying for longer and shorter struts?
What are the governing factors for buckling of short and longer columns?