College of Engineering
Department of mechanical Engineering
University of Thi-Qar
The Buckling and Its theories
Supervisored:
Ass .Prof.Dr : Adnan Abdul Hussein Aklah
Prepared By:
MSC student : Tuqa Mohammed Manshad MSC student: Enas Ramadan kha-
laf
Introduction
Buckling is a critical phenomenon in structural engineering, representing a form of instability that can
lead to the sudden failure of structural members under compressive or other forms of loading. Even
without material yielding or fracturing, buckling significantly reduces a member’s load-carrying capacity
and overall stability. This behavior is particularly important in slender columns, beams, and other
compressive members, as their design and integrity heavily depend on preventing such instabilities. The
analysis of buckling requires a detailed understanding of parameters like slenderness ratio, radius of
gyration, and critical buckling load, all of which are key to ensuring the safety and functionality of
structures. This blog will explore the different types of buckling, column buckling, and parameters
influencing its occurrence.
Parameters Influencing Buckling Analysis
The resistance of members to buckling depends on various factors such as the length, shape, cross-
sectional area of the members, stiffness, support conditions, and so on. To account for these effects,
parameters are defined that allow for the calculation of the critical buckling load based on the applied
compressive force. The critical buckling load is the maximum load that a member can support without
buckling.
Effective Length Factor
The effective length is defined as the product of 𝐾 and the free span between supports ( 𝐿). This length
represents the equivalent length of the member if it were constructed with pinned supports at both ends.
Le = KL
radius of gyration
represents how the material in a structure is distributed to resist buckling. The larger the
radius, the more efficiently the material is used, resulting in a structure that is better able to
withstand destabilizing forces.
In fact, the larger the radius of gyration, the more stable the column is, just like a top with a
wider base, making it less prone to tipping or sudden deformation. When the radius of
gyration is not equal about the two principal axes of a cross-section, the section tends to
buckle around the weaker axis, which has the smaller radius of gyration. The radius of
gyration about the x-axis is calculated using the following formula:
r =√(I/A) ; I: moment of inertia
Slenderness Ratio
The slenderness ratio is defined as the ratio of the effective length of a member to the radius of gyration
of its cross-section (KL/r). This parameter significantly influences the failure modes of a section. Based
on the definition of the slenderness ratio, sections are categorized into three main types, which help in
analyzing the behavior of sections under axial loading. These three categories are as follows:
• Short (Stocky) Sections: These sections have a low slenderness ratio, leading them to fail under
compressive stress (yielding) without experiencing any buckling.
• Long (Slender) Sections: These sections generally fail due to buckling before reaching their yield
strength. The behavior of such sections is influenced by their modulus of elasticity E.
• Intermediate Sections: Sections with a slenderness ratio between the short and long categories exhibit a
failure mode that combines both buckling and compressive stress.
