THEAMERICANUNIVERSITYINCAIRO

MENG3505
MechanicsofMaterials
BonusProject:Bucklingofcolumns

Submittedby:
CherifChokeir

DateofSubmission:18/5/2016

Dr.KhalilElKhodary

900140712

Abstract

Thepurposeofthisstudyistostudythestabilityofcolumns,memberssubjectedtoaxialcompressive
loads.Inthispaper,thestudyofbucklingofcolumnisviewedthroughthepointthatacolumn
subjectedtocompressiveloadsmightnotretainitsequilibriumposition,butrathersettlestoanew
equilibriumposition.Thisiscalledbuckling.Thisbehaviorisimportantsinceitexplainsmany
dramaticaccidentsinthehistoryofautomotiveorstructuralengineering.Afterunderstandingthebasic
ideabehindbucklingofcolumns,Eulersformulawasderivedinordertofindtheloadbeyondwhich
Bucklingwouldoccur.TheextensionofEulersformulatovariousendconditionsisthenusedto
understandthebasicideaaboutthedesignofcolumns.

TableofContents

PageNumber
ListofFigures

#3

ListofTable

#4

Introduction

#5

Objective

#6

Theory

#7

Conclusions&Recommendations

#13

References

#14

Appendices

#15

Listoffigures

Fig.1Anexampleofbucklinginrailtracks(Wikipedia)
..............................6
Fig.2(Left)Idealmodelofcolumnmadeofpin
connectedmembers.(Right)FreeBodyofasection(Beeretal.).8
Fig.3(Left):StraightColumn(Right):BuckledColumn(Beeretal.).........9

Fig.4:Abuckledpositionofacolumn(Beeretal.)....................................9
Fig.5CriticalStressvs.slendernessratiofordifferentmetals(Hibbler)....10
Fig.6Effectivelengthsofcolumnsatdifferentendconditions.(Beeretal.)..11

ListofTables

Table.1UsefulEquations..15

Introduction
Mechanicsofmaterialsisthebranchofengineeringwhichstudiesthemechanicalbehaviorofthe
differentmaterialsunderloadingconditions.Theimportanceofthesubjectisrelatedtothefactthatthe
determinationofthemechanicalpropertiesofthematerialsliketheircapacitytowithstandaspecificloadfora
certainamountoftimeisanessentialengineeringapproach.Essentialbecausethedesignofstructureslike
bridges,beamsandcablesisbasedonthedeterminationofanappropriatematerialandwithappropriatedesign
considerationslikethelengthordiameters,thegeometryoftheobjectetc.Butalsoessentialbecauseitis
importanttopredictthedeformationsandtheresponseofthematerialtoincreasingloads.
Althoughthedesignofmanyengineeringstructureswasbasedonthestrengthofthestructure(i.e.Its
abilitytowithstandaspecificloadwithoutfailureorundergoingunacceptabledeformation),many
accidents(fig.1)showedthatotherfactorsmustbetakenintoaccountlikethestabilityofthestructure,i.e.
whethertheyremaininplaceormovetonewequilibriumposition.
Importantstructuresthatoccurinmanyengineeringapplicationsarecolumns,whicharestructurecarryingaxial
compressiveloadsonly.Thecolumnsareusedinbridges,buildings,watertanksetc.Itisthereforeimportantto
designthemsuchthattheyremainatequilibriumandnotbuckle.
Todesignthecolumns,itisimportanttomakeuseofEulersformulawhichgivesthecriticalloadbeyondwhich
thecolumnwouldbuckle.Extensionofthisformula,thatisinitiallygivenforthepinendedcolumnforvarious
endconditionsisthenusedtodesigncolumns.

Fig.1Anexampleofbucklinginrailtracks(Wikipedia)

Objectives:
Understandtheconceptofstabilityofthestructure
Determinethecriticalloadbeyondwhichbucklingwouldoccurandthecorrespondingcritical
stress
Comparetheeffectivelengthsofcolumnsfordifferentendconditions
Understandthebasicideaofdesignofcolumnsandhowtoobtainthemostefficientdesign.
Solvedifferentproblemsonstabilityofcolumns

Theory:
Inordertostudythestabilityofelasticcolumns,itiscrucialatthebeginningtoconsiderthe
idealmodelofpinconnectedcolumn(i.e.acolumnformedoftworodsconnectedbyapin).
ConsidertworigidrodsconnectedatpointCbyapinandatorsionalspringofconstantKand
subjectedtoaxialloadP(fig.).TheapplicationoftheloadcausesthepointCtomovesideswaytothe
right.TakingaportionACanddrawingitsfreebody(fig.),thepointCissubjectedtotwocouples.
Onecoupleduetotheload:P(L/2)*sinandtheotherduetothetorsionalspringequalsK(2)

Thestructureissaidtobestableifitisgoingtogobacktoitsoriginalshape(i.e.
ifmomentduetoforcesislessthanthatduetospring.Itisunstableifthe
momentduetoloadisbiggerthantheoneduetospring.

Thevalueoftheloadforwhichthetwomomentsbalanceeachother
iscalledthecriticalloadP
.
cr

Fig.2(Left)Idealmodelofcolumnmadeofpin
connectedmembers.(Right)FreeBodyofasection(Beeretal.)

TheconditionsimplythatP
(L/2)sin=K(2)andsincesinforsmallangles
cr

P
=4K/L
cr

(Equation1)

ForP<4K/Lthestructureisstable.ForP>4K/L,thestructureisunstableandbuckles
.
Incaseofanappliedloadbeyondthecriticalload,thesystemwillmovetotherightandoscillatesuntil
itcometoanewequilibriumposition.Consideringthesamefreebodyoffig.Butusingafiniteangle
insteadofaninfinitesimalone,itispossibletowrite

PL/4K
=/sin

(Equation2)

Fromequation2,togetavalueofgreaterthan0,thelefthandsidemustbegreaterthan1,thusthe
provingthatloadshouldbegreaterthanthecriticalloadP>P
=4K/L.Elsewise,theonlypossible
cr
equilibriumpositionistheoneforwhich=0.

Thetargetnowistodeterminethevalueofthecriticalloadforwhichthecolumninfig.willbuckle.

Fig.3(Left):StraightColumn

Fig.4:Abuckledpositionofacolumn(Beeretal.)

(Right):BuckledColumn(Beeretal.)

Assumingacolumnisaverticalbeamsubjectedtoaxialload,andconsideringxtheverticaldistance
fromtheupperendtoanarbitrarypointQ,andythecorrespondinghorizontaldeflection:thegoverning
differentialequationoftheelasticcurvecouldbegivenby

2
2
d
y/dx
=M/EI=(P/EI)*y(Equation3)

WherethemomentMatQisPy,EistheYoungsmodulusofthematerialfromwhichthecolumnis
madeandIthemomentofinertiaofthecrosssection
Let
p2

=P/EI(Equation4)
andrewriteequation3intheformasecondorderhomogeneouslinear
differentialequationtoobtain
2
2
2
d
y/dx
+p
y=0

(Equation5)

Thesolutionofthisequationisoftheformy=Asinpx+Bcospx.Applyingboundaryconditions(at
x=0,y=0,andx=L,y=0),theresultis
AsinpL=0.
ThisequationissatisfiedforeitherA=0orpL=n

RecallingEquation4,andsettingn=1fortheleastpossiblevaluesofPresultin
Eulersformula.
2
2
P
=
EI/L
cr

(Equation6)

Thisformulagivesthecriticalloadbeyondwhichthecolumnwouldbuckle.Itisimportanttonotethat
Eulersformulaisvalidonlywithintheelasticrange(i.e.beforeyielding)
Bucklingoccurintheplaneperpendiculartotheminimumprincipalaxisofinertiaofthecrosssection.
Incaseofsymmetricsections,likesquare,orcircularsections,bucklingcouldoccurinanyplanesince
Iisequalaboutallaxisofsymmetry.
However,incaseofirregularshapes,thecalculationofthecriticalloadshouldbemadebytaking
I=I
inEquation6.
min

Toanalyzethestabilityandstrengthofthecolumn,itisalsoimportanttodefinethecriticalstress
2
correspondingtothecriticalload.UsingI=Ar
whereristheradiusofgyrationofthecrosssection
2
2
2
2
2

=
P
/A=
EAr
/AL
=
E/(L/r)

cr
cr

(Equation7)

WheretheratioL/risthe
slendernessratio
ofthecolumntakenbyusingr=r
min
Fromequation7,thecriticalstressvariesinverselywiththesquareoftheslendernessratio,which
couldbeseenfromfig.

Fig.5CriticalStressvs.slendernessratiofordifferentmetals(Hibbler)

10

AlthoughEulersformulaisveryusefulfordeterminingthecriticalloadforacolumnbeforebuckling
whichcouldthenbeusedinthedesignofthecrosssectionofthecolumnaccordingtoloading
conditions,itdoesnotapplydirectlyforallloadingconditions.Itappliesonlytothepinendedcolumn.
ThecriticalloadcouldbeobtainedfromEulersformulafordifferentloadingconditionsbychanging
thelengthwithaneffectivelength(i.e.,thecorrespondinglengthofthecolumnthatwouldbuckleina
similarmannerasapinendedone)
2
2
P
=
EI/L
cr
e

(Equation8)

Andsimilarly,introducinganeffectiveslendernessratioL
/rthecriticalstressis
e

2
2

E/(L
/r)

(Equation9)
cr
e

Theeffectivelengthsfordifferentendconditionsaregiveninfig.

Fig.6Effectivelengthsofcolumnsatdifferentendconditions.(Beeretal.)

(Beer,Johnston,DeWolf,Mazurek)

11


Itisnowimportanttodiscussbrieflythebasicideaofdesignofcolumnforbuckling.
Oncethephysicallengthofthecolumnisknownandtheappliedloadisdetermined,thenthedesignof
thecolumnisbasedonfourmainsteps:
DeterminingtheeffectivelengthL
ofthecolumnbasedontheloadendconditions.
e
Chooseanappropriatematerialaccordingtoproperties,whichisrepresentedbytheYoungs
modulusE
DesignanappropriatecrosssectionwhichisrepresentedbythemomentofinertiaIandmake
surethatthestresscorrespondingtotheappliedloadislessthantheallowablevalue.
Choosinganappropriatefactorofsafety,usuallygreaterthanfactorsofsafetyusedinother
designproblems.

IntroducingafactorofsafetyintoEulersequation:

2
2
2 2
P
<P
/F.S.=

EI/(F.S.*L
),orEI>(
F.S.*
P
*
L
)/

des
cr
e
des
e

(Equation10)

whichistheequationusedinthedesignofcolumnsforbuckling.
Designersuseequation10toselecteitherthematerial(E),orthecrosssection(I).
Thenitisimportanttomakesurethatthecorrespondingstressislessthantheappliedone(

P
/F.S<

cr
all

(ColumnBuckling:DesignusingEulerTheory)

12


Conclusion

Tosumup,thepurposeofthispaperwastounderstandthebasicideaofstabilityofstructurethrough
studyofbucklingofcolumns.

Todoso,Eulersformulathatgivesthecriticalloadbeyondwhichbucklingwouldoccurwasderived.
Extensionofthisformulatoavarietyofendconditionswasmadebythedeterminationoftheeffective
lengthandeffectiveslendernessratios.

ThenEulersformulawasusedtounderstandthebasicconceptofdesignofcolumnsforbuckling.

13

References:

Beeretal.,
MechanicsofMaterials
,6theditionMcGrawHill.NewYork2012
Hibbler,R.C.,
MechanicsofMaterials
,9theditionPearsonPrenticeHall2014

(ColumnBuckling:DesignusingEulerTheory)Retrieved5May2016
http://www.esm.psu.edu/courses/emch13/design/designfund/designnotes/design_buckling/bucdes1u.p
df

14

Appendices:
AppendixA:ListofUsefulEquations
Equation

Significance Elements

I=y^2dA
2
I=Ar

Second
Momentof
area

y:distancefromaxis(m)
dA:elementarea(m^2)
r:radiusofgyrationofthecrosssection

M=F*d

Momentof
forceata
point

F:force(N)
d:perpendiculardistancefrompointtoforce
(m)

=N/A

NormalStress
duetoaxial
load

N:axialload(N)
A:crosssectionalarea(m^2)

2
2
d
y/dx
=M/EI

Differential
Equationof
elasticcurve

y:deflectionofthebeamorcolumn
M:momentatthecrosssection

2
2
P
=
EI/L
cr
e

Eulers
formulafor
criticalloadof
buckling

2
2

E/(L
/r)

cr
e

Criticalstress
ofbuckling

:
Criticalstress
cr
E:YoungsModulusofthematerial
L
/r:slendernessratioofthecolumn
e
whereL
:Effectivelengthofthecolumn
e
andr:radiusofgyrationofthe
crosssection

2 2
EI>(
F.S.*
P
*
L
)/

des
e

Design
equationfor
buckling

F.S.:factorofsafety

E:YoungsModulusofthematerial
I:Momentofinertiaofthecrosssection
P
:criticalloadbeyondwhichbuckling
cr
wouldoccur
E:YoungsModulusofthematerial
I:Principalminimummomentofinertia
ofthecrosssection
L
:Effectivelengthofthecolumn
e

P
:designload
des
L
:Effectivelengthofthecolumn
e

EI:flexuralrigidity
Table.1UsefulEquations

15