Columns

10/23/07
 Topics to discuss
• Columns
– Failure of columns
– Moment of Inertia
– Buckling
– Column Shapes
• Bearing Walls
 Columns
• A column is a vertical support intended to
be loaded with compressive forces along
its axis.
• Columns have been used extensively
since antiquity.
Temple at Luxor
Temple of Hephaestus
Colannade
Washington Monument
 How do columns fail?
• The column is a fundamental building
element
• As shown in the previous pictures, the
columns are carrying all of the weight.
• What is an obvious question about a
column when designing a structure?
– How much weight can it take before it breaks?
 Short Columns
• A material can be crushed if the
compressive stress exceeds its ultimate
strength.
• When is this a concern?
– fairly short columns
 Longer Columns
• How do longer columns fail?
– It will collapse or fail before it gets crushed
• Buckling causes the column to bend in the
middle
• Buckling is the most common and
catastrophic form of failure
 Slenderness Ratio
• The slenderness ratio is the ratio of the effective
length to the radius of the column

• SR = Leff / r

• The slenderness ratio is large if Leff is large

compared to the radius.
 Slenderness Ratio – con’t
• Different limits come into play depending
on the length of the column
• Short columns are limited by the
compressive strength of the material
• Intermediate length columns are limited by
their inelastic stability
• Longer columns are limited by their elastic
stability
 Slenderness Ratio

Intermediate
Short Column
Column Long Column
(Strength
(Inelastic (Elastic Stability Limit)
Limit)
Material Stability Limit)

Slenderness Ratio ( SR = Leff / r)

Structural Steel SR < 40 40 < SR < 150 SR > 150

Aluminum Alloy
SR < 9.5 9.5 < SR < 66 SR > 66
AA 6061 - T6
Aluminum Alloy
SR < 12 12 < SR < 55 SR > 55
AA 2014 - T6
Wood SR < 11 11 < SR < (18~30) (18~30) < SR < 50
 Column Buckling
• What factors determine how much weight a
column can take before it buckles?
– The type of material (steel is better than wood)
– The dimensions of the column:
• Broader columns can take more weight

• Longer columns can take less weight

• Max load varies as the inverse square of

length, subject to the maximum for the
material.
 Column Buckling – con’t
• What other factors determine how much weight
a column can take before it buckles?
– DISTRIBUTION of the material of the column about
its axis
– This is the MOMENT OF INERTIA.
Moment of Inertia
 Moment of Inertia
• Can you guess which way a round column
will buckle?
• Can you guess which way a square
column will buckle?
 What about a rectangular column?

• Buckles in smaller dimension!

 Moment of Inertia
• The load on a column can be increased by
taking advantage of the moment of inertia
– I-beam or hollow arrangement is better than
solid piece

– Moment of i-beam is
– Moment of hollow square is
 End Constraints
• The load on a column can be increased by
constraining the ends
• The way the column is attached at either
end changes the weight limit
• A column that goes into the ground can
take more weight that one that is just
resting on the floor
 End Constraints
• Constraining the column causes it to
buckle less easily, effectively makes it a
shorter column.
• Constraining one end and pinning the
other doubles the buckling load
End Restraint and Effective Length
 Bearing Walls
• Columns are a common support structure
in buildings
• Many more structures seem to just have
walls.
• A wall designed to hold the weight of a
structure (as opposed to just a facing)
– A bearing wall
 Bearing wall
• A bearing wall is a continuous column, i.e.
extension of a column
• The material is a single piece
• A bearing wall has greater strength to
handle lateral displacements or
concentrated loads
Bearing wall
Non-load bearing wall
 Bearing walls
• Often larger at base (either uniformly or with a
separate footing) to reduce the pressure on the
ground and increase lateral stability
 Construction Issues
• Disadvantage of using an entire wall to
support the weight is difficulty building
• Walls near the bottom must be wider to
support the greater weight
• Putting in gaps for windows and doors are
a problem
• You can’t build the walls without the floors,
so construction must be done in stages
and proceeds more slowly
 Load on bearing walls
• Bearing walls must support the cumulative
weight of floors above as well as itself
• Load becomes greatest at bottom
• Bearing walls of masonry tend to get very
thick towards the bottom to support the
weight of the load above
 Application of middle third rule for
bearing walls
• Load must remain in the “middle third” or
the opposite side will be in tension.
• Concrete/masonry must be kept in
compression or they will fail

Middle third
 Castles
• Bearing walls were used to build castles
• Buttresses were used to distribute the load
 Monadnock building (1891)
• The office space is between two bearing
walls
• Very heavy
– has settled 20 inches into the ground over the
past century
• The weight of the upper floors limited the
height of the building
Monadnock Building (1891)
 Adobe architecture
• Adobe buildings of southwest – weak
structures requiring thick walls for even
one story
Mesa Verde
 Pilaster
• If there are areas of high stress within the
bearing wall, a pilaster (essentially an integrated
column) can be added for greater support