DEPARTMENT OF STRUCTURE AND MATERIAL

ENGINEERING
FACULTY OF CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL
ENGINEERING UTHM
HYDRAULIC AND MECHANIC OF MATERIAL LAB
BFC21201

NAME OF GROUP MEMBER:

MUHAMMAD ZARIF SYAZWAN BIN SUHAINI
MOHAMMAD HAMIZAN BIN MOHD AZMAN
MOHD SHAHIWAN BIN HALIM
MOHAMAD IZZAT BIN MOHD RAMLI

CF140108
CF140096
CF140100
CF140209

BASHEER AL-NAJM AL-QARH

AF130200

TITLE : BUCKLING OF STRUTS

LECTURER NAME :
DATE OF SUBMISSION : 15TH MARCH 2015
MARK ACHIEVE :

1.0

OBJECTIVE

1.1

To examine how shear force varies with an increasing point load.

1.2

To examine how shear force varies at the cut position of the beam for
various loading condition.

2.0

LEARNING OUTCOME

2.1

The application the engineering knowledge in practical application.

2.2
To enhance technical competency in structural engineering through
laboratory application.
2.3

To communicate effectively in group.

2.4

To identify problem, solving and finding out appropriate solution through

laboratory application.

3.0

INTRODUCTION

3.1

A compressive member can fail in two ways. The first is via rupture due to
the direct stress and the second is by an elastic mode of failure called
buckling. Short wide compressive member tends to fail by material
crushing.

3.2

When buckling occurs the struts will no longer carry any more load and its
will simply continue to buckle i.e its stiffness then becomes zero and it is
useless as a structural member.

4.0

THEORY

4.1

To predict the buckling load Euler buckling formula is used. The critical
value in Euler Formula is the slenderness ration, which is the ratio of the
length of the struts to its radius of gyration (L/K)

4.2

The Euler formula become inaccurate for struts with L/K ratio of less than
1.125 and this should taken into account in any design work.

4.3

Euler buckling formula pin struts :

Pe= 2 EI / L2

5.0

APPARATUS

Figure 1 : Type of connection end

Figure 2: Buckling of Strut Equipment

Pin End

Figure 3:

Figure 4: Fixed End

6.0

PROCEDURE

Part 1
1). Fit the bottom chuck to the machine and remove the top chuck (to give two
pinned ends).Select the shortest strut, number 1, and measured the cross
section using the vernier provided and calculated the second moment of area,
I,for the strut ( bd3/12)
2). Adjust the position of the sliding crosshead to accept the strut using the
thumbnut to lock off the slider. Ensure that there is the maximum amount of
travel available on the handwheel threat to compress the strut. Finally tighten
the locking screw
3) Carefully back- off the handwheel so that the strut is resting in the notch but
nottransmitting any load. Rezero the forcemeter using the front panel control.
4) Carefully start to load the strut. If the strut begin to buckle to the left,
flick the strut t othe right and vice versa (this reduces any error associated wih
the straightness of strut).Turn the hand wheel until there is no further increase in
load (the load may peak and thendrop as it settles in the notches).
5). Record the final load in Table 1. Repeat with strut numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5
adjusting thecrosshead as required to fit the strut.
Part 2
1). To study the effect of end conditions, follow the same basic procedure as in
part 1, butthis time remove the bottom chuck and clamp the specimen using the
cap head screw and plate to make a pinned-fixed end condition.
2.) Record your result in Table 2 and calculate the values of 1/ L2
for the struts.
3). Fit the top chuck with the two cap head screws and clamp both ends of the
specimen tomake a pinned pinned end condition. Calculate the new values of

4.) Enter the result into Table 3

Figure 5 : PIN-PIN END

Figure 6 : PIN-FIXED END

Figure 7: FIXED-FIXED END

7.0

RESULT

STRUT
NUMBER

LENGTH (mm)

BUCKLING LOAD BUCKLING LOAD

(N)
(N)
EXPERIMENT
THEORY
320
-198
88.4505
370
-139
66.1600
420
-116
51.3454
470
-81
41.0020
520
-36
33.4961
TABLE 1 : RESULT FOR STRUT PIN TO PIN

1
2
3
4
5

STRUT
NUMBER

LENGTH
(mm)

1
2
3
4
5

300
350
400
450
500
TABLE 2

STRUT
NUMBER

LENGTH
(mm)

CALCULATION

I=b d

BUCKLING
LOAD (N)
THEORY
201.2741
144.5393
113.217
84.2552
72.4587
PIN TO FIX

BUCKLING
BUCKLING
LOAD
LOAD
(N)
(N)
EXPERIMENT
THEORY
280
-400
462.1090
330
-270
332.6845
380
-181
250.8957
430
-164
195.9402
480
-143
157.2454
TABLE 3 : RESULT FOR FIX TO FIX

1
2
3
4
5

8.0

BUCKLING
LOAD (N)
EXPERIMENT
-166
-132
-100
-078
-056
: RESULT FOR STRUT

/12

b = 0.02m
d = 0.002m
I = 0.02 X
2

E = 69 GN m

0.0023 /12 = 1.33 X

@ 69 X

109

1011

m4

1/ L

11.11
8.16
6.25
4.94
4.00

1/ L

12.76
9.18
6.93
5.41
4.34

Pin to Pin

Pe= 2 EI / L2

STRUT 1
L = 320 mm 0.32 m
Pe =

2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.322

= 88.4505 N
STRUT 2
L = 370 mm 0.37 m
Pe =

2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.372

= 66.16 N
STRUT 3
L = 420 mm 0.42 m
Pe =

(69 X

10

11

) / ( 0.42

11

) / ( 0.47

) (1.33 X

10

) (1.33 X

10

= 51.3454 N
STRUT 4
L = 470 mm 0.47 m
Pe =

(69 X

10

= 41.002 N
STRUT 5
L = 520 mm 0.52 m
Pe =

2 (69 X

= 33.6961 N

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.522

Fix to pin

Pe=2 2 EI / L2

STRUT 1
L = 300 mm 0.30 m
Pe =

2 2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.302

= 201.2741 N
STRUT 2
L = 350 mm 0.35 m
Pe =

2 2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.352

= 144.5393 N
STRUT 3
L = 400 mm 0.40 m
Pe =

2 2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.402

= 113.217 N
STRUT 4
L = 450 mm 0.45 m
Pe =

2 2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.452

= 89.4552 N
STRUT 5
L = 500 mm 0.50 m
Pe =

2 2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.502

= 72.4587 N

Fixed to Fixed

Pe=4 EI / L

STRUT 1
L = 280 mm 0.28 m
Pe =

4 2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.282

= 462.109 N
STRUT 2
L = 330 mm 0.33 m
Pe =

4 2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.332

= 332.6845 N
STRUT 3
L = 380 mm 0.38 m
Pe =

4 2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

1011 ) / ( 0.382

= 250.8957 N
STRUT 4
L = 430 mm 0.43 m
Pe =

4 2 (69 X

109 ) (1.33 X

= 195.9402 N
STRUT 5
L = 480 mm 0.48 m

1011 ) / ( 0.432

Pe =

(69 X

10

) (1.33 X

11

10

) / ( 0.48

= 157.9402 N

9.0 DISCUSSION
Part 1:
1) Examine the Euler buckling equation and select an appropriate
parameter to establish a linear
relationship between the buckling
load and the length of the strut. Write the relationship below.

Pe= 2 EI / L2

Based Eular formula and Table 1, 2 and 3,

Pe = Euler buckling load (N), L = length
We can consider that when L is bigger, Pe will be small, relation between
buckling load and the length of the strut is inversely proportional in linear
condition.
2) Calculate the value and enter them in Table 1 with an appropriate title.
Show on Table 1 using formula:

Pe= 2 EI / L2

3) Plot a graph to prove the relationship is linear. Compare your

experimental value to those calculated from Euler formula by entering a
theoretical line onto the graph. Comment on the result.
Graph plotted = In the graph paper

Based on the graft that we plotted, for pin-pin -end , the gradient for experiment
value is 0.58N and the gradient of the theoretical value is 0.25N . For pin-fixedend the the gradient for experiment value is 0.54N and the gradient for
theoretical value is 0.55N . And for the fixed-fixed end , the gradient of

experiment value is 1.06N and the gradient of theoretical value is 1.367N. This
experiment result shows that for pin-pin-end, the gradient of experiment value is
greater than the theoretical value. Meanwhile ,the result for fixed-pin-end, the
gradient of theoretical value is greater than experiment value and for fixed-fixedend the result shows that the theoretical value is greater than experiment value.
So in practice, The buckling of the theoretical value is higher than experiment
value for pin-fixed-end and fixed-fixed-end except for pin-pin-end, which the
buckling of experiment value is higher than theoretical value

Part 2:
1) Plot separate graphs of buckling load versus 1/ L and calculate the
gradient of each line.
Graph Plotted = In Graph Paper.Gradient in the graph plotted
2) Fill the table below showing the comparison between experimental
and theoretical ratio by end condition
Experiment
gradient
Experiment ratio
Theoretical ratio

Pinned - Pinned
0.58

Pinned - Fixed
0.54

Fixed Fixed
1.06

0.58/0.58=1
0.25/0.25=1

0.54/0.58=0.931
0.85/0.25=3.4

1.06/0.58= 1.828
1,367/0.25=5.468

Notes:
1. *Use the experimental gradient fom Part 1
2. Experimental ratio = Exp. Gradient / gradient of pinned-pinned.
3. Theoretical ratio can be obtained from Euler Formula for pinned-fixed and
fixed-fixed.
3. Comment on the experimental and theoretical ratio.
From the table, experimental ratio is not consistence with the usage of end of co
nnection,we basically know that the fixed end is much stronger than the pins
end referred to theoretical ratio value. This shows the more force should be
imposed on the members of the joint fixed-fixed end compared to the pin-pin
connection. When one of the end is changed from pin end to fix end, the ratio is
two times larger than the pinned-pinned, it the same case happed when both of
the end changed to Fixed-fixed end. The experimental ratio is not consistence
with theoretical ratio because there was several errors when conduct the
experiment, such as the screw is not tightens carefully, the sliding crosshead are
not tighten to the experiment apparatus.

4. What conclusion can you made from the experiments.

Based from the experiment of Buckling of Strut, we can conclude that Fixed end
is much stronger than the Pinned end and more force should be imposed on the
member of the joint fixed-fixed end connection, but in other criteria the usage in
fixed end connection usually apply for concrete beam or column connection, The
Pinned end issued for Steel connection because, usually fixed end connection is
for permanent connection, steel always use bolt and nut rather than weld
fabricating connection.

10.0 CONCLUSION
Based from the experiment of Buckling of Strut, we can conclude that Fixed end
were much stronger than the Pinned end and more force should be imposed on
the member
of the joint fixed-fixed end connection, but in other criteria
the usage in fixed end connection usually apply for concrete beam or column
connection. The Pinned end is used for Steel connection because, it is usually
fixed end connection is for permanent connection..