MANE-4030: Elements of Mechanical Design: Worksheet #12

3/21/11: Buckling failure

A 1-m long column with a 60- by 100-mm rectangular cross-section and made of aluminum alloy 2024-T3 (heat-treated) is subjected to a compressive axial load. One end is fixed and one end is free. In this problem you are to determine the critical load if (i) the load is centrally applied and (ii) the load is applied eccentrically at a distance 10 mm from the center as shown.

10 mm x load applied at x 60 mm 100 mm

(a) First, determine the critical load if failure is to occur due to yielding. (b) Now, compute the critical load for buckling assuming a straight column with a central load. Use Eulers equation for column buckling. The smaller of the loads from this part and from part (a) is the critical load (load at which failure will occur, either due to yielding or buckling). (c) Now, account for eccentric loading by using the secant formula. What is the critical load now? (Note, you will need to iterate.)

EMD worksheet solutions #12

Mar. 21, 2011 (a) For Al 2024-T3, Syp = 50, 000 psi = 345 MPa. Critical load for yielding is then Pcry = Syp A = (345 N/mm2 )(60 mm)(100 mm) = 2, 070, 000 N = 2, 070 kN (b) From the cross-section of the member, and since the xed end is xed in both directions and the free end is free in both directions, we know it will buckle about the thin dimension (i.e. about the vertical axis in the gure). For aluminum, E = 10, 300 ksi = 71 GPa. Also, for the case of one end xed and one end free (see Table 2.1, and case(b) in Fig. 2.7), Le = 2L. I = Pcrb bd3 (0.1 m)(0.06 m)3 = = 1.8 106 m4 12 12 2 (71 109 N/m2 )(1.8 106 m4 ) 2 EI = = = 315, 000 N = 315 kN L2 (2 m)2 e

So Pcrb < Pcry . Thus, buckling is the critical failure mode, and Pcr = 315 kN. (c) Now to apply the secant formula. We will assume the material remains elastic until buckling so the tangent modulus is just E , the elastic modulus. Note that c in this equation is the distance from the neutral surface to the outer ber about the plane of buckling. Pcr = 1+ k = Syp A
ec k2

sec

Le 2k

Pcr AE

I = A

1.8 106 m4 = 0.01732 m (0.1 m)(0.06 m) (345 106 N/m2 )(0.1 m)(0.06 m)

Pcr = 1+ =

(0.01 m)(0.03 m) (0.01732 m)2

sec

2m (2)(0.01732 m)

Pcr (0.1 m)(0.06 m)(71109 P a)

2.07 106 N 1 + (1) sec 57.74

Pcr 4.26108 N

So we have a non-linear equation for Pcr . To solve this, we write the following equation which we will solve by trial and error. f (Pcr ) = Pcr 2.07 106 N 1 + (1) sec 57.74
Pcr 4.26108 N

=0

We will guess values of Pcr until we get f (Pcr ) close to zero. We can notice that increasing Pcr will increase the positive term and decrease the negative term, so if we guess a value of Pcr that 1

is too high, we will have f (Pcr ) > 0 and if we guess too low, f (Pcr ) < 0. We also expect that the correct solution should be less than that for Euler buckling of a centrally loaded member. So I start guessing as follows (note: in the secant formula, assumes units of radians): Table 1: Trial and error results. Pcr guess f (Pcr ) 300 kN 223.2 kN 250 kN -52.6 kN 275 kN 80.7 kN 260 kN -0.30 kN 261 kN 5.0 kN

We obtain then the critical buckling load of Pcr = 260 kN for the eccentrically loaded column. Now, I do a quick check to verify that there is no yielding and that taking E for the tangent modulus is valid. The maximum compressive stress due to the eccentric load is on the outer ber and is just: = Mc (260 kN )(0.01 m)(0.03 m) 260 kN + FA = + = 87 M P a < Syp 1 3 I (0 . 1 m )(0 . 06 m ) (0 . 1 m )(0 . 06 m ) 12

Thus, yielding is not an issue.