UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

“How to differentiate between short

and slender column”

A Report Submitted By
GOBURDHUN Yogesh
ID: 1515419

To:
The Civil Engineering Department
Mr. A. SEEBOO
Module Title:
CIVE2016Y(3) Structural Design I

DECEMBER 2016
 UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

Coursework Submission Form

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Module title: Structural Design I CODE: CIVE2016Y(3)

Assessment title: How to differentiate between short and

slender column

Student ID: 1515419

Assessor: Mr. Asish SEEBOO

Submission deadline: 02 Dec 2016

Date submitted: 02 Dec 2016

See note for plagiarism: …………………………………………………………………………………

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UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS
 CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
CIVE 2016 (3)

COURSEWORK:

“How to differentiate between short and slender column”

By:

GOBURDHUN Yogesh
 ACKNOWLEGMENT

I am more than happy to be taking a significant portion of time out of my super-loaded schedule to
formulate a few words in cognizance of the effort that Mr. A. Seeboo in apprising me of things that I
am going to lever on to emerge as a successful engineer.

Mr. A. Seeboo utilized his immeasurable intellect blended with a sound experience achieved by
hours of hard work to familiarize me with the concepts involved in the Structural Design module. In
the end, the fruit of his penury can be harvested throughout this report.

Thank you very much Mr. A. Seeboo.

Contents

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Braced column ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Unbraced column.................................................................................................................................... 4
The effective length ................................................................................................................................ 4
Slenderness ratio .................................................................................................................................... 7
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 8
Dissemination of knowledge................................................................................................................... 8
REFERENCES

LISTS OF FIGURES

Figure 1Elements of a frame skeleton .................................................................................................... 1

Figure 2Load transfer in a frame structure ............................................................................................. 2
Figure 3Braced structure in both axis ..................................................................................................... 3
Figure 4Unbraced column....................................................................................................................... 4
Figure 5Braced column .......................................................................................................................... 4
Figure 6Illustration of conditions ........................................................................................................... 6
Figure 7Failure by crushing ..................................................................................................................... 8

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1Values of β for unbraced column ................................................................................................ 6

Table 2Values of β for braced column .................................................................................................... 6
INTRODUCTION

Columns are vertical structural members in a structure.

Figure 1Elements of a frame skeleton

Source: Roy Chudley, 2006. Building Bundle: Building Construction Handbook, Sixth Edition: Incorporating Current Building
& Construction Regulations. 6 Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann.

They transfer loads from the beams and slabs to the foundations of a building. They are members
that are most of the times subjected to compressive forces. Columns subjected to tensile forces are
little and one common example is a Kiosk’s column which is subjected to uplift forces. Also due to
the continuity of a structure; they may also be subjected to bending forces.

1
 Figure 2Load transfer in a frame structure

Source: Roy Chudley, 2006. Building Bundle: Building Construction Handbook, Sixth Edition: Incorporating Current Building
& Construction Regulations. 6 Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann.

Columns are primarily classified as short or slender:

Columns are said to be slender when its mode of failure is by buckling. A particular characteristic of
slender column is the smallness in its cross sectional dimensions and length ratio. That is, they are
long and have small section dimensions such that upon loading, there is bending or sideway
deflection or lateral displacement of the slender column. The bending or sideway deflection of the
column is termed as buckling.

In the other way, shorts columns are ones that fails by crushing. The characteristics are opposite to
that of a slender column. Under loading conditions, lateral displacement or bending are not seen
and are insignificant (<10% ). They fail by crushing unlike slender column.

2
How to differentiate between a short and slender column.

First of all, the notion of braced and un-braced column must be known. They are two types of
column with each their own properties. They are be termed as ‘Braced’ and ‘Unbraced’ column or
the sway or non- sway member.

A thorough examination of braced and unbraced column is done below because Codes relates to
whether the column is braced or unbraced in classifying a short and long column.

Braced column
According to clause 3.8.1.5 BS8110, the Code gives the following definition:

“ A column is considered braced in a given plane if the lateral stability to the structure as a whole is
provided by walls or the other suitable bracing to resist all lateral forces in that plane.”

By the definition above, we can deduce that, a braced column is one which does not require to resist
lateral loads but rather the lateral loads are counteracted by walls or some other form of bracing.

A particular braced structure in both X and Y plane is shown below.

X
Core system –
Shear wall
E.g Shear wall
of a lift shaft
Figure 3Braced structure in both axis

3
Unbraced column
According to clause 3.8.1.5 BS8110, the Code gives the following definition:

“A column is considered unbraced in a given plane where lateral stability in that plane is provided by
the column. “

Unlike a braced column, an unbraced column is one where the lateral loads are counteracted by the
bending action of the columns.

Figure 4Unbraced column Figure 5Braced column

Source: Hany Nessim. 2012. RC Design 2. [ONLINE] Available

at: http://www.pua.edu.eg/PUASite/uploads/file/Engineering/Fall%202012/CM302/10-Slender%20Columns.pdf. [Accessed
30 November 2016].

The effective length

The deformation of columns under compressive loads is a very important property of materials
which are taken into consideration while designing structures. Leonard Euler (1707- 1783) was the
first scientist who brought about the equation related to this property and it follows that:
𝜋2 𝐸𝐼
Pe= (Le)2

Where P is the Buckling/Crippling load,

E is the Young’s Modulus for the material,

I is the Second moment of area of the section,

Le is the effective length of the strut

The crippling load or buckling load once reached, the column fails.

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Effective length and the Relationship between Euler’s formula and effective length

The effective length of a given column with given end condition is the length of a pin ended column
of the same material and section that has the same value of the crippling load to that of the given
column.

While calculating the buckling load of a given column, it is simply converted into pin ended column
of a particular length that has the same buckling load as the given column. The numerator of the
formula is kept as for a pin ended column (𝜋 2 𝐸𝐼 ) while the resulting denominator results into the
effective length automatically. The particular length of the resulting pin ended column is the
effective length.

Another definition of effective length is the distance between the points of contraflexure ( bending
moment is zero at point of contraflexure) in the column at buckling.

It is of utmost important to calculate the effective length since all results of test in codes classify
whether a column is short or slender depending on their effective length.

Below are common types of end conditions and therefore each with different types of effective
length which have been found, as implied in the following sketches.

Le= 1.0L Le= 0.7L Le= 0.5L

L

Pinned- pinned end pinned-fixed end fixed ends

There is also the Fixed-free ends where Le= 2.0L

As it can be seen, the effective length, Le is given by the expression

𝐿𝑒 = 𝛽𝐿
Where L is the clear distance between a column end conditions and

β, the coefficient which depends on the degree of end conditions.

β is 1.0 for pinned-pinned end, 0.7 for pinned-fixed end and amongst others. For simplification,
Codes provided Tables for guidance on appropriate β values for both braced and unbraced columns.

5
Table 1Values of β for unbraced column Table 2Values of β for braced column

Source: Dermot. 2010. Design of Slender Columns. [ONLINE] Available

at: https://www.tcd.ie/civileng/local/notes/Dermot.ODwyer/4A6/Slender.pdf. [Accessed 30 November 2016].

Where the end condition definitions are as follows

1 – Depth of beam monolithically connected

to the column is greater than or equal to the

column depth in the plane considered.

2 – Depth of the beam or slab monolithically

connected to the column is less than the

column depth in the plane considered,

3 – Nominal restraint between beams and

column. Example: Beam detailed as simply supported

4 – No restraint against lateral movement and

rotation. Column end is free.

Example: Free end of cantilever in

unbraced structure

Figure 6Illustration of conditions

Source: A.. ALLEN, 1988. Reinforced Concrete Design to BS 8110 Simply Explained. CRC Press. 1988.. Edition. CRC Press.

6
Slenderness ratio
After thorough examination of BS8110, we can clearly see that the slenderness ratio is an important
feature to assess the stiffness of a column.

The slenderness ratio is defined as the ratio of the effective length to the cross sectional dimension
in the direction under consideration.

A typical column will therefore have two slenderness ratios:

b
1. About the x-x axis.
Y
𝐿𝑒𝑥
𝑆𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 =
ℎ
X X h
h is the overall depth of the section in the plane of bending

about the X-X axis and also perpendicular to

X-X axis.
Y

2. About the Y-Y axis –

𝐿𝑒𝑦
𝑆𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 =
𝑏
Where b is the column dimension and perpendicular to the Y-Y axis.

𝑳𝒆𝒙 𝑳𝒆𝒚
A column is classified as short if both 𝒉
and 𝒃

For a braced column For an unbraced column

Are less than 15 Are less than 10

Short notes on Radius of Gyration

The Euro code uses the radius of gyration and it is defined as

𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑔𝑦𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = √
𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 − 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎

Using the radius of gyration rather than the section depth to assess slenderness has an advantage as
it can be used with non-rectangular sections.

7
Conclusion
In the light of above, we can conclude that in BS 8110, the stiffness of a column is assessed
𝐿𝑒𝑥 𝐿𝑒𝑦
depending on its slenderness ratio. For a column to be classified as ‘short’ , both ℎ
and 𝑏
must be

less than 15 for a braced column and both must be less than 10 for an unbraced column. h and b are
the column dimension in the direction of study whereas Le is the effective length of the column and
is given by the expression 𝛽𝐿 where L is the clear distance between a column end conditions. Values
for the coefficient β is given in the form of a table by Codes to calculate the effective length.

Dissemination of knowledge
A strut simply is a member which is subjected to forces that contract the member. A column is
essentially a vertical strut designed to carry a compressive load. Being in compression, it is obvious
to say that a column would fail by being crushed when the load exceeds a value that it cannot
support.

Figure 7Failure by crushing

If we consider a 30cm school plastic ruler and we apply at both of its end a compressive force, we
will notice a bowing shape which is formed. If we continue to apply the same force, it will break in
that plane it was bowing out. The ruler is termed as long or slender.

For slender column, failure occurs at a lower load than the column can support at its maximum and
they are designed in specific way. This report contains materials which simply help to differentiate
between a slender and short column.

8
REFERENCES

W. H. Mosley, 1991. Reinforced Concrete Design (Civil Engineering Series). 4 Edition. Scholium Intl.

A.. ALLEN, 1988. Reinforced Concrete Design to BS 8110 Simply Explained. CRC Press. 1988.. Edition.
CRC Press.

Roy Chudley, 2006. Building Bundle: Building Construction Handbook, Sixth Edition: Incorporating
Current Building & Construction Regulations. 6 Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann.

Dermot. 2010. Design of Slender Columns. [ONLINE] Available

at: https://www.tcd.ie/civileng/local/notes/Dermot.ODwyer/4A6/Slender.pdf. [Accessed 30
November 2016].

Hany Nessim. 2012. RC Design 2. [ONLINE] Available

at: http://www.pua.edu.eg/PUASite/uploads/file/Engineering/Fall%202012/CM302/10-
Slender%20Columns.pdf. [Accessed 30 November 2016].