What is Buckling

When a slender member is subjected to an axial compressive load, it may fail by a condition
called BUCKLING. Buckling is not so much a failure of the material (as is yielding and
fracture), but an instability caused by system geometry.

Euler Buckling Formula

The critical load, Pcr, required to buckle the pinned-pinned column is given by the EULER
BUCKLING FORMULA. Consider a column of length, L, cross-sectional Moment of Inertia, I,
having Young's Modulus, E. Both ends are pinned, meaning they can freely rotate and cannot
resist a moment. The critical compression force at which the column buckles is given by:

p2EI
Pcr =
L2

The Buckling Strength, scr, is the Euler Buckling Load divided by the columns cross-
sectional area:
p2EI
scr =
AL2
» Radius of Gyration
If all of the cross-sectional area of a column were massed a distance r away from the neutral
axis, the lumped-area cross-section would have the same Moment of Inertia as the real cross-
section. r is termed the RADIUS OF GYRATION and is given by:

Ixx 1/2 Iyy

1/2
  or   ry =
rx =
A A

» Slenderness Ratio
SLENDERNESS RATIO is a measure of how long the column is compared to its cross-
section's effective width (resistance to bending or buckling). The Slenderness Ratio, s, is simply
the column's Length divided by the Radius of Gyration. Applying the Slenderness Ratio and
the Radius of Gyration reduces the Euler Buckling Formula to:

p2EI r 2 p2EA
Pcr = 2
= p E =
L 2
kL s2

» Effective Length
How a column is supported governs its buckling strength. The EFFECTIVE LENGTH, Le,
accounts for differences in the end supports. The Effective Length is the length the column
would have to be if it were to buckle as a pinned-pinned column. The Buckling Formula for
any column is thus:

p2EI
Pcr =
Le2
 Effective Lengths for Columns with Various End Conditions
Pinned-
End Condition Fixed-Free Fixed-Fixed Fixed-Pinned
Pinned

The effective length is equal to

the distance between points in the
column where moment = 0
(between "pins"). This occurs
when the curvature of the column
changes.

The Fixed-Free column is "mirrored"

through the fixed end to visualize Le=2L.

Effective Length, Le L 2L 0.5L 0.7L

Relative Buckling Strength (~ 1/
1 0.25 4 2
Le2) for same L

Figure 1‐1 Short columns fail due to material failure

Figure 1-2 Long columns fail due to instability

Figure 1-3 bulking occurs
in concrete columns