STRUCTURAL STEEL

COLUMN DESIGN

ECS338 – STRUCTURAL CONCRETE AND STEEL DESIGN

 Course Outcomes
1.  Identify and apply knowledge on structural analysis in
designing of structures.

2.  Design reinforced concrete structures in accordance to

relevant standards.

3.  Design steel structures in accordance to relevant

standards and its implementation in real practice.

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 Programme Outcomes
PO3 - Ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering
problems using thinking skills and engineering
reasoning.

PO6 - Acquiring the capacity to undertake lifelong learning

and having the knowledge of contemporary issues.

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 Learning Outcomes
At the end of this topic students should be able to:

1.  Explain the failure modes of compression member, Euler

buckling theory, column slenderness and effective
buckling length (CO3-PO6).

2.  Analyse and design concentrically loaded column (CO1/

CO3-PO3).

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 Structural steel column
•  Columns are vertical members that carry axial compression
load and due to their slender nature they are prone to
buckling.

•  Columns may fail due to:

1.  Local buckling
2.  Yielding
3.  Overall buckling

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Types of column

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 Concentrically loaded columns
•  Local buckling can be controlled by section classification
(EC3-1-1, Table 5.2) with the least section being Class 3.
a)  For internal compression parts (web): c/t ≤ 42ε
b)  For outstand flanges: c/t ≤ 14ε

•  UC that satisfy the above are able to reach the yield load
or the overall buckling load without failure prior to local
buckling (Class 4).

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•  Compression members subjected to an axial load are
susceptible to flexural, torsional and torsional-flexural
buckling.

•  EC3-1-1, cl. 6.2.4 determines the cross-section

compression resistance (yielding) of a column as,
a) Class 1-3: Nc,Rd = A fy / γM0 > NEd
b) Class 4: Nc,Rd = Aeff fy / γM0 > NEd

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•  The overall buckling resistance of a column is given in cl.
6.3.1.1(3), EC3-1-1 as,
a) Class 1-3: Nb,Rd = χ A fy / γM1 > NEd

b) Class 4: Nb,Rd = χ Aeff fy / γM1 > NEd

where χ is the reduction factor for the relevant buckling

mode determine from cl. 6.3.1.2, EC3-1-1.

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 Elastic buckling vs real column buckling
•  Euler buckling is an elastic buckling developed by a
mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1757. It derives a
formula that gives the maximum axial load that a long,
slender and ideal column can carry without buckling.

•  An ideal column is one that is perfectly straight,

homogeneous and free from initial stress.

•  The formula derived by Euler for ideal columns is given

below.

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•  A real column has geometrical imperfection and presence
of residual stresses (stresses developed in steel section
during production).

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•  In a real column, buckling occurs when the column
slenderness is very high. Cl. 6.3.1.3, EC3-1-1 defines the
slenderness as:

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•  Slenderness of columns commonly encountered in building
construction is low and these columns are considered as
stocky members (Class 1-3) and will buckle inelastically.

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 Buckling length, Lcr
•  EC3 provides little information on how to determine Lcr.
Different end restraints affect the buckling lengths of the
column.

•  The end restraints could be (refer to table of buckling

length, Extracts from EC3, page 7):
a) End translational restraint or pinned restrained, also
called restrained in position in the table.
b) End rotational restraint or moment restrained, also
called restrained in direction in the table.

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 Design procedure
1.  Select trial size of UC section

2.  Check strength classification (Table 3.1)

3.  Determine section classification (Table 5.2)

4.  Check compression resistance of cross-section (cl. 6.2.4)

5.  Check buckling resistance of member (cl. 6.3.1.1)

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