Chapter Three: Compression

Members
Y.BOOPATHI –CIVIL Engg.
 Introduction
• Compression members are perhaps the most
common structural elements in an ordinary
structure and are variously termed as
columns, posts, struts or stanchions, etc. A
structural member is considered to be a
compression member if it is designed
primarily to resist axial compression, though
some bending may also be present and
accounted for in the design.
• If the bending action is quite significant, the
member is termed as a beam-column and designed
in a different way as will be shown later in Chapter
six.
• Structural action of columns, stanchions, struts and
posts is identical; but due to difference in their
usage different names are used. Columns are
ordinarily used in buildings, are vertical and transmit
some actual load or beam reaction to another
column or foundation.
• Stanchions are steel columns made of rolled steel
sections (usually built – up) and carry heavy loads.
• Struts on the other hand are not necessarily
vertical and are used as compression members in
roof trusses and bridge trusses.
• The term post is loosely used for a column but the
end member of a bridge truss is known as the
end-post. Similarly, the main compression
members of a roof truss are known as “rafters”.
• Under the general category of compression
members could be included columns,
compression members in a trussed structure,
component parts of frames such as compression
flanges of beams or plate girders.
 The two main differences between tension
and compression members are:
• Tension members are held straight by means
of tensile loads, while in the case of
compression members, the compressive loads
tend to bend the member out of the plane of
loading.
• For riveted or bolted connections, the net area
will govern the strength of a tension member,
while for compression members the rivets are
assumed to fill the holes.
A Simple compression members
The main kinds of compression members are
as shown below
• Tapered members
Stepped columns
Built up columns
• Compression members can fail by yielding,
inelastic buckling, or elastic buckling
depending on the slenderness ratio of the
members as well as in local buckling that is
usually influenced by the relative thickness of
the component elements that constitute the
cross section.
• Members with low slenderness ratios
generally tend to fail by yielding, whereas
members with high slenderness ratios tend to
fail by elastic buckling.
• Most compression members used in
construction have intermediate slenderness
ratios, and so the predominant mode of
failure is inelastic buckling.
Member buckling can occur in one of three different
modes: flexural, torsional, and flexural-torsional.
• Flexural buckling occurs in members with doubly
symmetric or doubly anti-symmetric cross sections such
as I and Z sections, and in members with singly symmetric
sections such as C, T, equal-legged L and double L.
• Torsional buckling occurs in members with very thin walls.
• Flexural-torsional buckling occurs in members with singly
symmetric cross sections such as C, T, equal-legged L,
double L.
• Normally, torsional buckling of symmetric shapes
and flexural-torsional buckling of un symmetric
shapes are not important in the design of hot-rolled
compression members.
• they do not govern or their buckling strengths do
not differ significantly from the corresponding weak-
axis flexural buckling strengths. However, torsional
and flexural-torsional buckling modes may govern
for sections that have relatively thin component
plates.
• The relative thickness of a component
element is qualified by the width-to-thickness
ratio (b/t) of the element. The width-to-
thickness ratios of some selected steel shapes
are shown in Fig. If the width-to-thickness
ratio falls within a limiting value stipulated by
relevant codes and specifications, local
buckling of the component element will not
occur.
 Classification of Sections (Compression)

• Classification of sections of compression

members depends on their failure modes
under load. Different standards and codes
stipulate various classification although they
generally coverage to two main modes of
classification-either into four classes (as in, for
example, the EBCS3 1995) or into three classes
(as in, for example, the AISC Standard).
• The EBCS 3 2017 classifies sections into four
categories. Accordingly, the design strength of
a cross-section subject to compression
depends on its classification as Class 1
(Plastic), Class 2 (Compact), Class 3 (Semi-
compact), or Class 4 (thin-walled) according to
their capacity in the following manner.
• Class 1 cross sections, also known as plastic
sections can develop their plastic moment
resistance (fy times plastic modulus) with the
rotation capacity required for plastic analysis.
Only cross sections falling in this class may
only be used for plastic design.
• Class 2 cross sections can develop their plastic
moment resistance but with limited rotation
capacity. Cross-sections falling in this group
are also known as compact sections.
• Class 3 cross sections are those which can reach
their “yield” moment (fy times elastic modulus)
but local buckling prevents the development of
the plastic moment resistance. In Class 3
sections, the stress in the extreme fibers should
be limited to the yield stress because local
buckling prevents development of the plastic
moment capacity. Cross-sections falling in this
group are also known as semi-compact sections.
• Class 4 cross sections, also known as thin-
walled cross-sections, are those in which local
buckling is liable to prevent the development
of the “yield” moment; i.e., premature
buckling occurs before yield is reached.
Limiting Width-Thickness Ratios for Compression Elements (those exceeding these
limits are taken as Class 4 section)
Section Element Ratio Checked Class 1 Class 2 Class 3
General - None Assumed Class 3
Rectangular - None Assumed Class 2
d/tw (rolled)
Web 33 44 51
d/tw (welded)
I - shape
c/tf (rolled) 10 11 15
Flange
c/tf (welded) 9 10 15
Web d/tw 33 38 42
(b-3tf)/tf
Box 42 42 42
Flange (rolled)
b/tf (welded) 42 42 42
Web d/tw 33 38 42
Channel
Flange b/tf 10 11 15
Web h/tw 33 38 42
T-Shape b/2tf (rolled) 10 11 15
Flange
b/2tf (welded) 9 10 14
h/t 15.0
Angle - NA NA
(b+h)/(2t) 11.5
Round Bar - None Assumed Class 1
Pipe - d/t 50 2
702 902
 1/ 2
 
   235 f 
 y

Para Steel Grade

mete
r
fy 235 275 355 420 460
 1 0.92 0.81 0.75 0.71
Table 3.1: Nominal values of yield strength fy
and ultimate tensile strength fu for hot rolled
structural steel
• Refer EBCS -3 , EN10025-2,3,4,5,6, As per New
code book.
 Slenderness ratio
• λ =KL/r
• The governing slenderness ratio (KL/r) of
compression members preferably should not
exceed 200.
• KL=Effective length
• R=minimum radius of gyration
  
Effective Length Factor

• The effective length factor K is a factor which,

when multiplied by the actual unbraced length
L of an end-restrained compression member,
will yield an equivalent pinned-ended member
whose buckling strength is the same as that of
the original end-restrained member.
• The effect of end restraint is quantified by the
two end restraint factors GA and GB where the
subscripts A and B refer to the joints at the
two ends of the member being considered
and G is defined as:
sum of flexural stiffness of all columns meeting at the jo int
G
sum of flexural stiffness of all beams meeting at the jo int


 ( EI / L ) columns

 ( EI / L) beams
Design Criteria for Compression Members

• A number of design checks are required for

compression members. In all cases, it is
recommended that the forces and moments in
the members are derived from an elastic
global analysis.
• The cross-sectional resistance, consideration
should be given to overall buckling of
members. Members in compression are
susceptible to a number of buckling modes
including local buckling (Class 4 or thin
sections only), flexural buckling, torsional
buckling and flexural-torsional buckling.
• The last three modes are overall buckling
modes involving the whole member
 Ethiopian Building Code Standard EBCS 3
2013
• Resistance of Cross section
• Compression
•  According to the EBCS 3 specification, axially
loaded compression members designed to
resist a factored axial force of Nc.sd, calculated
using appropriate load combinations, must
satisfy the condition:
• Nc.sd,  Nc.Rd
 EBCS -3 P.N 55
• Where Nc.Rd = design compression resistance
of the cross-section,
• Npl, RD of the design plastic resitance of gross
section N  A x f for Class 1, 2 or 3 cross  sec tions
g y
p1, Rd
 MO

• Nc,Rd the design local buckling resistance of

gross section
A f eff y

• N

c , Rd
For class 4 M0
• The partial safety factors are MO = 1.0 and M1
= 1.0.
• Flexural Buckling (EBCS 3 P.n 52)
• Axially loaded compression members
designed to resist a factored axial force of Nc.sd,
calculated using appropriate load
combinations must satisfy the condition:
• Nc.Sd  Nb, Rd
• Where Nb, Rd = design flexural buckling resistance of the
cross-section to be determined from
A fy
• For class 1,2 or 3 N b , Rd  
 M1

 Aeff fy
• For class 4 Nb,Rd 
 m1

•
• Where Aeff is the effective cross-section for
Class 4 cross-sections
Table 6.1: Imperfection factors for buckling
curves P.N 53

Buckling curve a0 a b c d

Imperfection factor α 0.13 0.21 0.34 0.49 0.76

Alternative method for reduction factor , Figure 6.4:
Buckling curves
P.n 55
 NEd
• For slenderness ≤ 0.2 or forNcr ≤ 0.04 the
buckling effect s may be ignored and only
cross sectional checks apply.
Torsional and Flexural-torsional buckling

• For members with open cross-sections

account should be taken of the possibility that
the resistance of the member to either
torsional or torsional-flexural buckling could
be less than its resistance to flexural buckling.
• The non-dimensional slenderness for
torsional-flexural buckling should be taken as:
• for Class 1,2 and 3 cross-sections
A fy
T 
N cr

• for Class 4 cross-sections

Aeff fy
T 
Ncr

• Ncr = Ncr,TF but Ncr < Ncr,T

• Ncr,TF is the elastic torsional-flexural buckling force;
• Ncr,T is the elastic torsional buckling force
Selection of buckling curve for a cross section
EBCS -3 Table 4.11
• Fyb; the bsic tensile yield strength of the basic metal out of which the member
is made by cold-forming
• Fya: the average yield strength of a member after colding-forming and shall not
exceed fu or 1.2fyb.
•  = 1 – (y0/r0)2
• Yo = distance from shear center to centroid of gross cross-section along the y-
axis.
• Ry = radius of gyration of the gross cross-section about the y-axis.
• Rx = radius of gyration of the gross cross-section about the z-axis.
• It = torsional constant
• Iw = Warping constant
• Let = effective length
• Ley = effective length corresponding to buckling over the y – axis.
 problems
• 1. Top chord of a truss is subjected to
maximum compression ultimate force of 300
KN. Assume gusset plate thickness to be 10
mm, use two angles 90x90x12 mm back to
back. Check the adequacy of the section:
(Assume: Steel grade of EN10025-2 S235 &
S275)
• 2.A compression member 4.0 m long and pin
supported is subjected to an axial force of
2000 KN. A 406x178-74kg UB has been
provided. Use EN10025-2,S235 steel grade.
Check whether the profile is sufficient or not?
3.A two angles sections of 120*120*12mm is
used as a compression member. Determine
the design Axial load acting on member, Yield
strength fy =275Mpa.Length of column is
taken as 8.1m.both ends are fixed support.
• 4.  Design adequately a rolled Compression
Member to carry an axial load of 2800 KN with
a steel grade of S355N/NL. The span of the
compressive member is 3.1 m in which both
ends are fixed in positions.