MECHANICS OF SOLIDS

COMPRESSION MEMBERS

TUTORIAL 2

INTERMEDIATE AND SHORT COMPRESSION MEMBERS

You should judge your progress by completing the self assessment exercises.

On completion of this tutorial you should be able to do the following.

 Define an intermediate compression member.

 Derive and use the Rankine – Gordon formulae.

 Solve the loads at which members fail.

 Define a column.

 Calculate the stresses in a column with an offset load.

 Calculate the position of the neutral axis in a column

with an off set load.

It is assumed that students doing this tutorial already familiar with the
concepts of second moments of area, bending stress, bending moments and
deflection of beams. Students should study the tutorial on struts before
starting this one.

© D.J.DUNN 1
INTRODUCTION

You should recall that compression members fall into three groups, long (struts)
intermediate and short (columns). First we need to now that a material may fail due to
exceeding the ultimate (maximum) compressive stress. This is often referred to as the
crushing stress. If this was the only factor causing failure the load that produces it would
be given by the formula Fu = u A
Fu = Ultimate compressive load
u = ultimate compressive stress
A = cross sectional area.

In reality, there is often bending associated with the failure and this is especially true with
intermediate members.

1. INTERMEDIATE COMPRESSION MEMBERS

It is found that steel struts with a slenderness ratio of 80 to 120 fail at smaller loads than
predicted by Euler. These are intermediate compression members in which compression
and bending have an effect on failure.

1.1 RANKINE - GORDON THEORY

GORDON suggested that for such members, an empirical formula be used (based on
experimental data). RANKINE modified Gordon's formula. The following shows the
reasoning for this formula.
π 2 EI
FE = Euler's critical load. and this applies to struts.
L2
Fu = Ultimate compressive load = u A and this applies to columns.
u = ultimate compressive stress.
A = cross sectional area.
Rankine suggested that an intermediate compression member fails due to both buckling
and compression to more or less degrees.

Based on experimental data, it is found that a reasonable prediction of the load at failure
is given by the reciprocal formula.
1 1 1
 
FR FE Fu
FF
This rearranges to FR  E u
FE  Fu
FR = Rankine’s Critical load.

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The formula indicates that for slender members FE dominates and for short members Fu
dominates.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

Consider the further development of Euler's formula for struts.

L L
Slendernes s Ratio  S.R.   Rearrange to make I the subject
k I
A
2 2
AL AL AL2
(S.R.) 2  I 
I (S.R.) 2  L  2
 
k
π 2 EI
Euler' s critical load for struts is FE  2 Substitute the above formula for I nto this.
L
π EAL
2 2
π EA
2
FE  2
 2
2 L  L
L   
k k
If we divide by thecross sectiuonal area we convert the force into a nominal stress
called Euler' s critical stress  E
FE π2E π 2 Ek 2
E   .........................(1)
A  L 2 L2
 
k
If we plot this stress against slenderness ratio we get the result shown on figure 1. The
graph is called Euler's Hyperbola.

Next we consider the further development of the Rankine formula. Substitute the
following into Rankine’s formula.
Fu = u A Fe = 2EI/L2

Fu Fe A u  2 EA n 2
FR  
Fu  Fe   
2

 L    EAn
  
2 2
 
 A u 
 k    L 2 
 
  k  

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 A u  2 EA n 2
FR 
  L 2 

2 2

n  EA     A u 
k  
 
A u A u
FR   ...............(2)
 L  2
  L 2
   u  a 
 k   1  k 
1  2  n2
  E 
 
u
where a 
2 E
Although there is a theoretical value for the constant a based on material properties, it is
usual to determine it from experiment. The experimental value varies slightly from the
theoretical. Typical values of a are

Material u MPa a
Mild Steel 325 1/7500
Wrought Iron 247 1/9000
Cast Iron 557 1/1600
Timber 35 1/3000

GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION

The diagram shows E (equation 2) and R (equation 1) plotted against slenderness ratio.
The ultimate compressive stress is marked on the stress axis. The result shows how R
tends to u as the member becomes short and tends to E as the member gets longer. The
region of interest is around the S.R. = 80 point where the correct stress lays between the
other two values.

Figure 1

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 WORKED EXAMPLE No.1

Find the Rankine critical load for a strut with an I section as shown given
u = 325 MPa, E = 205 MPa and L = 16 m. The strut is built in rigidly at each end.

Figure 2
SOLUTION

The strut will bend about the axis of minimum resistance and hence minimum I so we
must determine which is the minimum I.
HORIZONTAL N-A
The section is symmetrical so subtract I for the two cut outs from the value for the
outer rectangle. Remember that for a rectangle I = BD3/12 about its centre line.
3
For the outer rectangle I = 250 x 320 /12 = 682.67 x 106 mm4
3
For one cut out I = 120 x 300 /12 = 270 x 106 mm4
4
For the section I = 682.67 x 106 – 2 x 270 x 106 = 142.66 x 106 mm
VERTICAL N-A
Treat this as three rectangles and add them together.
4
Two ends I = 2 x 10 x 2503/12 = 26.04 x 106 mm
4
Middle I = 300 x 103/12 = 25000 mm
4
Add together I = 26.06 x 106 mm
4
The minimum I is about the vertical axis so use I = 26.06 x 106 mm
A = (250 x 10) x 2 + (300 x 10) = 8000 mm2.
k = (I/A) =  (26x106/8000) = 57 mm
mode n = 2
a = 0.00016
A u 8000 x10 6 x325 x10 6
FR  
L  16 
2
a  2 0.00016 
1  2  0.057 
k
1
n 22
 626.2kN

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 SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE No.1

1. A strut is 0.2 m diameter and 15 m long. It is pinned at both ends. Calculate Euler's
critical load. Take E = 205 GPa (Answer 706.25 kN)

2. A strut has a rectangular section 0.2 m x 0.1 m. It is 8 m long. The bottom is built in
and the top is free. During a test, it buckled at 164 kN. Given the ultimate
compressive stress of the material is 345 MPa :

Calculate the Rankine constant "a". (0.000133)

A second strut made of the same material has a rectangular section 0.3 m x 0.2m. It is
6 m long and pinned at both ends. Using the constant ‘a’ found previously, find the
Rankine buckling load. (Answer 8.5 MN)

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2. COLUMNS

A column is a thick compression member. Struts fail due to bending but columns fail in
compression. Columns are usually made of brittle material which is strong in
compression such as cast iron, stone and concrete. These materials are weak in tension so
it is important to ensure that bending does not produce tensile stresses in them. If the
compressive stress is too big, they fail by crumbling and cracking

Figure 3
OFFSET LOADS

Columns often support offset loads and these produce bending stresses that combine with
the compressive stress. This is illustrated in figure 4.

Figure 4

If a load is applied on the centre of the section, the stress in the column will be a direct
compressive stress given by D = - F/A
Remember that compressive stresses are always negative.

When the load is applied a distance 'x' from the centroid, a bending moment is induced in
the column as shown. The bending moment is M = F x where x is the off set distance.

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From the well known formula for bending stress we have B = My/I

y is the distance from the centroid to the edge of the column.

The stress produced will be +ve (tensile) on one edge and -ve (compressive) on the other.

On the compressive edge this will add to the direct compressive stress making it larger so
that  = B + D = -My/I - F/A

On the tensile edge the resulting stress is  = B + D = My/I - F/A

Substitute M = F x  = = Fxy/I - F/A

WORKED EXAMPLE No.2

A column is 0.5 m diameter and carries a load of 500 kN offset from the centroid by
0.1m. Calculate the extremes of stresses.

SOLUTION

F = 500 kN x = 0.1 m y = D/2 = 0.25 m

Tensile Edge

 = B + D = Fxy/I - F/A
 = 500 000 x 0.1 x 0.25 /( x 0.54/64) - 500 000/( x 0.52/4)
 = 1.528 MPa (Tensile)

Compressive Edge

 = B + D = -Fxy/I - F/A
 = -500 000 x 0.1 x 0.25 /( x 0.54/64) - 500 000/( x 0.52/4)
 = -6.621MPa (compressive)

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NEUTRAL AXIS

The neutral axis is the axis of zero stress. In the above example, the stress varied from
1.528 MPa on one edge to -6.621 MPa on the other edge. Somewhere in between there
must a value of y which makes the stress zero. This does not occur on the centroid but is
by definition the position of the neutral axis. Ideally this axis should not be on the section
at all so that no tensile stress occurs in the column. The position of the neutral axis can
easily be found by drawing a stress distribution diagram and then either scaling off the
position or calculate it from similar triangles.

WORKED EXAMPLE No.3

Determine the position of the neutral axis for the column in example 2.

SOLUTION

Drawing a graph of stress against position (y) along a diameter we get the figure
shown (not drawn to scale). If it is drawn to scale the position of the neutral axis may
be scaled off.

Figure 5

Using similar triangles we arrive at the solution as follows.

A + B = 0.5
A = 0.5 - B
A/1.528 = B/6.621
(0.5 - B)/1.528 = B/6.621
3.3105 - 6.621B = 1.528 B
B = 0.406 m

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 SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE No.2

1. A column is 0.4 m diameter. It has a vertical load of 300 kN acting 0.05m from the
centroid. Calculate the stresses on the extreme edges.
(Answers 0 MPa and -4.77 MPa).

2. A column of diameter D has an offset load. Show that if the stress on one edge is
zero, the offset position is D/8.

3. A column is made from cast iron tube 0.4 m outside diameter with a wall 40 mm
thick. The top is covered with a flat plate and a vertical load of 70 kN is applied to it.
Calculate the maximum allowable offset position of the load if the material must
always remain in compression.
(Answer 0.082 m)

4. A hollow cast iron pillar, 38 cm outside diameter and wall thickness 7.5 cm, carries a
load of 75 kN along a line parallel to, but displaced 3 cm from, the axis of the pillar.
Determine the maximum and minimum stresses in the pillar.

What is the maximum allowable eccentricity of the load relative to the axis of the
pillar if the stresses are to be compressive at all points of the cross section ?

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