ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at Euler's fundamental strut theory and compare it with one of the empirical relationships that have been established through experimentation, in particular with the Rankine–Gordon relationship. A beam turned on end and loaded directly through its centre line may be considered to be a column. The concepts of slenderness ratio, radius of gyration and effective length were defined and their uses with respect to column and strut design were considered. A tubular stainless steel strut pinned at both ends is 3 m long and has an outer diameter of 40 mm and an internal diameter of 35 mm. In steel girder construction, struts are used as the main compressive support members. In wooden structures, the axially loaded supports are often referred to as posts. In wooden structures, the axially loaded supports are often referred to as posts.
