ABSTRACT
The compression member is the second type of axially loaded structural element, the first type being the tension member discussed in Chapter 2. Very stocky compression members behave in the same way as do tension members until after the material begins to flow plastically at the squash load Ny = Afy . However, the resistance of a compression member decreases as its length increases, in contrast to the axially loaded tension member whose resistance is independent of its length. Thus, the compressive resistance of a very slender member may be much less than its tensile resistance, as shown in Figure 3.1.
