ABSTRACT
This chapter explains how to estimate the buckling capacity of steel members subjected to compression and bending. The method used is a Gordon-Rankine approach, which provides a quick estimate of strength that is slightly conservative in comparison with the full code-based methods. A strut is an axially loaded member under pure compression. This is different from the columns in buildings, which are also subjected to bending moments and are therefore called beam columns. Leonard Euler solved the differential equations for struts with a variety of different end conditions. The effective length is the length of an equivalent strut with pinned end conditions. Euler’s formula applies only to struts that remain elastic during buckling that is ones that return to their original position when the load is removed. Beam webs are vulnerable to buckling under concentrated forces and the strength can be estimated by using strut buckling theory.
