COMPRESSION

MEMBERS
COMPRESSION MEMBERS

• Structural member subjected to compressive forces along its axis

• Subjected to loads that tend to decrease their length
• Called ‘Column /Stanchion’ in buildings and ‘Strut/Rafter’ in trusses
• May experience bending moments and shear forces (except in pin jointed trusses)
- if net moment = 0 🡪 AXIALLY LOADED COLUMN (only axial loading)
(or very small)
- if net moment ≠0 🡪 BEAM COLUMN ( axial loading + Bending moment)
COMPRESSION MEMBERS

Struts & Ties

Column /
Post

Boom
Bracing Shoring Strut Knee Bracing
COMPRESSION MEMBERS

Arches Baened
columns

Laced columns

Built up columns
 CONNECTIONS OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS

hps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ayDGHo1A5g

Column Base Plate (Foundation)

COMPRESSION MEMBERS

1 2

3
4

Beam –Column Connections

CONNECTIONS OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS

Column Cap Connections Column Splices

SECTIONS USED FOR COMPRESSION MEMBERS

• Functional aspects of the structure

• Functional aspects of the member
• Easy connectivity
• High radius of gyration
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS

Based on their Length

• Short
Failure stress = yield stress
Large deformations only when fc reaches fy
No buckling 🡪 Squashing
L ≤ 888.85r --- no practical application

• Intermediate
some fibers would have yielded, some fibers are still elastic
Inelastic buckling 🡪 failure by yielding and buckling

• Long
Elastic buckling
Strength decreases with length
Compressive strength << Tensile strength
BUCKLING IN COMPRESSION MEMBERS

Elastic Buckling Inelastic Buckling

• Buckling is identified as a failure limit-state for columns.

• Buckling occurs when a straight, homogeneous, centrally loaded

column subjected to axial compression suddenly undergoes
bending
• Buckling of long columns is not caused by failure of material of
which column is composed but by determination of what was
stable state of equilibrium to an unstable one
BUCKLING IN COMPRESSION MEMBERS

• The value of P at which a straight column becomes unstable is

called the Critical Load
• When column bends at critical load, it is said to have buckled.
Critical load is also called the buckling load.
WHY column more critical than tension member?
The bending of tension members probably will not be serious as the tensile loads tends
to straighten those members, but bending of compression members is serious
because compressive loads will tend to magnify the bending in those members.
FAILURE MODES IN COMPRESSION MEMBERS

• Squashing
- when the length is relatively small
- reaches full strength 🡪 squash load [=fy xAc ]

• Local Buckling
- Buckling of one or more individual plate elements
[web, flange ] in the direction normal to the applied load
 FAILURE MODES IN COMPRESSION MEMBERS

• Overall Flexural Buckling

- most common failure in compression members

- occurs by excessive bending in the plane of the

weaker principal axis [ one with the smallest r ]
• Torsional Buckling
- Twisting about the shear centre about the longitudinal axis
- Common in thin walled open sections
- not for closed sections

• Flexural- Torsional Buckling

- Combination of flexure and tension
- Usually in singly symmetrical sections

• Joint or Connection failure in Compound members

EFFECTIVE LENGTH

The form of curve into which a compression member tends to deflect depends upon the mode of end fixtures (supports)
• There is a portion of the length of the compression member
which bends. The end points of this portion of the
compression member are the points of contraflexure.
• le is the distance between the points of contra flexure

It depends on the actual length/unsupported length and

the end constraints
• The smaller the eective length, the smaller is the danger of
lateral buckling, and the greater is its load-carrying capacity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XohTfTD9VD0
IS 800: 2007 Table 11
EFFECTIVE LENGTH

• The tendency of a member to buckle is usually measured by its slenderness ratio.

• The slenderness ratio of a member is the ratio of the eective length to the appropriate radius of gyration (λ =
KL/r).

• To minimize steel requirements in column design (so as to use the material at the
greatest possible stress) the slenderness ratio should be kept as small as possible.
• Can be achieved
- by selecting a section which provides the minimum radius of gyration
without providing more area of steel
- by reducing the unsupported length of the column by some means.
EFFECTIVE LENGTH
COLUMN BUCKLING CURVES

.
• The buckling strength of members is aected by residual stresses, initial
bow and accidental eccentricities of load.
• To account for all these factors, dierent sections are classified under
dierent buckling class a, b, c and d are given in Table 10 of IS 800:
2007 ( page 44).

IS 800: 2007 Table 11 pg 44

 DESIGN COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH

Depends on :
• Material of the column
• Cross sectional configuration
• Length of the column
• Support end conditions
• Residual stresses
• Imperfections
- Material not being isotropic
and homogenous
- Geometric variations
- Eccentricity of load

1.1
 .

IS 800: 2007 Table 9

FINDING DESIGN COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
FINDING DESIGN COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS

Assumptions
• The column is assumed to be absolutely straight.
• The modulus of elasticity is assumed to be constant
• Secondary stresses are neglected

Procedure

If Pd> Pu, design is ok. Else Redesign

6. Check for slenderness
DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS

Step 1 : Find axial force on the member 🡪 Pu =550kN

Step 2 : Selecting a trial section

ISMB 250

select a section that has Area > 4661

DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS

ISMB 250

Step 3 : Compute KL/r for selected section Step 6 : Check for slenderness satisfied

Step 4 : Compute fcd and Design Strength for selected section

Step 5 : Compare Pd and Pu

🡪
 DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS-ANGLE STRUTS

A continuous strut is a compression member which is continuous over a number of joints, such as a top chord member of
a truss bridge girder, principal rafter of a roof truss, etc.
A discontinuous strut is a compression member which extends between two adjacent joints only, e.g., vertical or inclined
compression members in a roof truss

If a single angle discontinuous strut is connected by

only one bolt at each end, then k = 1

If a single angle discontinuous strut is connected by two or

more bolts or welds , then k=0.85
DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS-ANGLE STRUTS

=124.4kN
> 60kN Hence Safe
ISA 90X90X12mm may be used
BUILT UP COLUMNS

• A fabricated column
• For economical design of heavily loaded long columns, the radius of gyration of column section is increased to maximum
• To achieve this condition the rolled or fabricated sections are kept away from the centroidal axis of the column
and are connected by some connecting system known as laice system.
• Such columns are also known as laiced columns or open columns.

• With the same moment of inertia, they are more eicient because the more
eective distribution of area enables equal moments of inertia about z- and
y-axes to be obtained with less steel.
BUILT UP COLUMNS
BUILT UP COLUMNS
LACED COLUMNS

• Flat or angle sections are normally used as lacings

• To hold the various parts of a column straight, parallel, at a correct

distance apart and to equalize the stress distribution between its
various parts.
• connected with a single rivet/bolt at the end but sometimes two
rivets/bolts are provided
• Single or double lacings can be provided
• Laces are designed as compression members and then checked for
tension.
BATTENED COLUMNS

• Baens are plates or any other rolled sections used to connect the main components of
compression members.
• Baen should be placed opposite to each other on the two parallel faces of the compression
member and should be spaced and proportioned uniformly throughout
• The number of baens should be such that the member is divided into at least three bays
within its actual length.
• Baened columns have the same strength as laced columns but are uneconomical and are
therefore used rarely.
• Baens are not recommended for a column subjected to an eccentric load in the plane of
the connecting system
DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS

For a column section built up of shape shown in Fig. determine the axial load capacity in compression for the data
indicated against the figure.

IS 800: 2007 Table 11

DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS

For a column section built up of shape shown in Fig. determine the axial load capacity in compression for the data
indicated against the figure.
COLUMN BASES

• Column loads are distributed to steel base plates which are placed over concrete blocks
- Maintains alignment of the column in plan
- verticality of the column
- controls the column and frame deflections
• Column bases are primarily subjected to bearing pressure from below, and bending moment and shear force
• Classified into two types: SLAB BASE , GUSSETED BASE
COLUMN SLAB BASE-for light loads

• When the column is subjected to only direct loads, the base can be designed by assuming a uniform bearing
pressure from below
• For small loads, a steel plate alone, shop welded to the column, can be used to transmit the loads to the concrete
• For bolted construction, cleat angles are bolted to the base plate in shop and the column is placed between them
while erection. It is considered to be a pinned base
• Even if the column is subjected to direct force only, nominal angle sections should be provided to keep the column in
place, and to resist any tension due to erection and connections
• Depending on the value of axial load and bending moment, there may be
compression over the whole base of compression over a part of the base
and tension in the remaining
• Holding down bolts/ anchor bolts are provided to resist the tension forces
• Horizontal loads are resisted by welds provided to connect the column with
the base plate
COLUMN GUSSETED SLAB BASE
ANCHOR BOLTS
THICKNESS OF BASE PLATE

Take Allowable bearing pressure on concrete as 4N/mm2

(P/area of plate)
‫ץ‬m0 =1.1