Mechanics of Materials Laboratory

Column Buckling Test

David Clark
Group C:
David Clark

Jacob Parton

Zachary Tyler

Andrew Smith

10/27/2006
 Abstract
Leonhard Euler first derived a series of equations that can successfully determine
the buckling behavior of columns. The following procedure attempts to verify one of
these equations. The maximum load, the highest load a column can support without
buckling, is correlated to the Young's modulus, moment of inertia, length of a beam, and
method of support. The practice of using a column buckling machine can be very
accurate with proper testing materials and procedure. The results within this experiment
exhibited up to 44% error.

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 Table of Contents
1. Introduction & Background............................................................4
1.1. General Background..............................................................4
2. Equipment and Procedure............................................................5
2.1. Equipment..............................................................................5
2.2. Experiment Setup...................................................................6
2.3. Procedure...............................................................................6
3. Data, Analysis & Calculations.......................................................6
3.1. Theoretical Calulcations.........................................................7
4. Results........................................................................................10
5. Conclusions.................................................................................10
6. References..................................................................................11
7. Raw Notes...................................................................................12

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1. Introduction & Background

1.1.General Background

The physicist and mathematician Leonhard Euler first derived a series of

equations to determine the deformation of columns under loads. The following procedure
attempts to verify one of these buckling equations for steel columns.

Euler determined the following expression for determining the critical load.

π 2E I
Pcr = 2
Le

Equation 1

• E is the elastic modulus of the specimen

• I is the second moment of area (moment of inertia)

• Le is the effective length.

The method of support determines the effective length. The figure below
demonstrates what these effective lengths are, as well as provide a visual explanation
why the effective length per setup is different.

Figure 1

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 When a critical load is applied, the buckling occurs in the plane perpendicular to
the corresponding principal axis of inertia. To utilize this, the radius of gyration is
introduced. "In structural engineering, the two-dimensional radius of gyration is used to
describe the distribution of cross-sectional area in a beam around its centroidal axis"
(Wikipedia). The radius of gyration is given by the following formula

I min
r=
A

Equation 2

Combining Equation 1 and 2, the expression for critial loading becomes

π 2E A
Pcr =
( Le / r ) 2
Equation 3

The critical load can be used to find the stress in the beam being loaded.

Pcr π 2E
σ cr = =
A ( L / r) 2

Equation 4

2. Equipment and Procedure

2.1.Equipment

1. Column Buckling Machine

2. Three Metal Beams: In this experiment, steel beams of known length

were used. The modulus of elasticity for the material tested was
predefined.

3. Calipers, a Dial Gage, and a Tape Measure: Calipers should be used to

measure the width and thickness of the beam. Dial gages will be used to
measure deflection along the length of the beam. The tape measure is used
to measure the length between supports

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 4. Specimens to be Tested: The following procedure utilizes three
speciments: one specimen prepared to be fixed at both ends, one specimen
that models a pinning support at both ends, and a final specimen that has
one fixed end and another end acting as a pin support.

2.2.Experiment Setup

The specimen should be secured on the column buckling machine with each end
of the specimen being supported per case requirements. The effective length (the distance
between supports) should be measured and recorded.

A dial gage should be attached to the column buckling machine such that any
deflection of the beam can be easily measured and recorded.

2.3.Procedure

A load is then induced onto the beam by the column buckling machine. The
deflection should be recorded from the dial gage secured to the apparatus. The load is
measured by reading the load gage after balancing the beam applying the force. After
each applied load, record the force and deflection.

3. Data, Analysis & Calculations

In the following set of results, the scenarios are labeled as follows:

o Case 1 : A beam fixed on both ends

o Case 2: A beam fixed on one end with the second end acting as a
pin support

o Case 3: A beam with both ends acting as a pin support

The following table categorizes known dimensional data of the test specimens.

Beam Dimensions (inches)

Length 15.00
Width 0.750
Thickness 0.133
Area 0.100

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 The length, L, was the distance measured between supports. The area is the
product of the width multiplied by the thickness.

3.1.Theoretical Calulcations

The following calculations should serve as an example for the calculations used in
all three cases. The effective length, second moment of area, radius of gyration, and
critical load were found using Equations 1 through 3 and Figure 1.

1 1
Le = L = (15) = 7.5 inches
2 2

Equation 5

1 1
b t 3 = ( 0.750 )( 0.133) = 14.7 × 10 −4 inches 4
3
I min =
12 12

Equation 6

I min 14.4 × 10 −4
r= = = 3.84 × 10 − 2 inches
A 0.100

Equation 7

π 2 E A π 2 ( 30 × 10 6 )( 0.100 )
Pcr = = = 774 pounds
( Le / r ) 2 ( 7.500 / 3.84 × 10 −2 ) 2
Equation 8

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 Case 1 Case 2 Case 3
Deflection Load Deflection Load Deflection Load
0.000 0 0.000 0 0.000 0
0.007 25 0.028 85 0.180 180
0.019 55 0.068 155 0.235 190
0.038 100 0.110 205 0.310 200
0.052 130 0.158 245 0.358 202
0.078 180 0.250 285
0.095 205 0.343 305
0.113 230 0.432 310
0.132 255
0.134 255
0.152 272
0.173 290
0.192 310
0.200 315
0.259 355
0.287 365
0.301 375
0.340 390
0.384 402
0.420 412
0.467 422
0.502 437
0.526 437

Table 1

Load vs Deflection - Case 1

500

450

400

350

300
Load (lb)

250

200

150

100

50

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Deflection (in)

Figure 2

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 Load vs Deflection - Case 2

350

300

250

200
Load (lb)

150

100

50

0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5
Deflection (in)

Figure 3

Load vs Deflection - Two Pinned Supports

250

200

150
Load (lb)

100

50

0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4
Deflection (in)

Figure 4

The following figure combines Figures 2 through 4 to demonstrate how different

support conditions change the buckling load.

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 Load vs Deflection

500

450

400

350

300
Load (lb)

Case 1
250 Case 2
Case 3
200

150

100

50

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Deflection (in)

Figure 5

4. Results
Results
Theoretical Actual Error
Case 1 774 437 43.54%
Case 2 395 310 21.50%
Case 3 193 202 4.39%

Table 2

5. Conclusions
The error within this experiment was grossly inaccurate and exhibited
unacceptable error. The main source of error was due to poor testing technique. Even
with proper technique, however, persistent and large error was still present. The
remaining error was due to ill conditioned test samples and poorly calibrated equipment.
The samples had experienced buckling many times previous to this test, and the clamps
were not aligned to place the force parallel along the beam.

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6. References
Gilbert, J. A and C. L. Carmen. "Chapter 4 – Column Buckling Test." MAE/CE 370 –
Mechanics of Materials Laboratory Manual. June 2000.

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7. Raw Notes

Figure 6

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Figure 7

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