Developed by Scott Civjan

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

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Compression Members:

Chapter E:
Chapter I:
Part 4:
Chapter C:

Compression Strength
Composite Member Strength
Design Charts and Tables
Analysis Issues

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

Local Buckling:

Criteria in Table B4.1

Strength in Chapter E: Members with Slender Elements

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

Local Buckling Criteria

Slenderness of the flange and web, , are used as criteria to
determine whether local buckling might control in the elastic or
inelastic range, otherwise the global buckling criteria controls.
Criteria r are based on plate buckling theory.
For W-Shapes
FLB, = bf /2tf

rf = 0.56

E
Fy

WLB, = h/tw

rw = 1.49

E
Fy

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

Local Buckling
> r slender element
Failure by local buckling occurs.
Covered in Section E7

Many rolled W-shape sections are dimensioned such

that the full global criteria controls.

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

Chapter E:
Compression Strength

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

Compression Strength

c= 0.90 (c= 1.67)

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

Compression Strength
Specification considers the following conditions:

Flexural Buckling
Torsional Buckling
Flexural-Torsional Buckling

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

Compressive Strength

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

Compression Strength

The following slides assume:

Non-slender flange and web sections

Doubly symmetric members

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Compression Strength
Since members are non-slender and doubly symmetric,
flexural (global) buckling is the most likely potential failure
mode prior to reaching the squash load.

Buckling strength depends on the slenderness of the section,

defined as KL/r.
The strength is defined as
Pn= FcrAg Equation E3-1

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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If

If

Fy

E
KL
Fe
, then Fcr 0.658 F. y
4.71
r
Fy

This defines the inelastic buckling limit.

Equation E3-2

KL
E , then F = 0.877F .
Equation E3-3
cr
e
4.71
r
Fy
This defines the elastic buckling limit
with a reduction factor, 0.877, times the theoretical limit.

Fe = elastic (Euler) buckling stress, Fe

2E
KL

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

Equation E3-4

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Inelastic Material Effects

Elastic Behavior
Fe

2E
KL

KL/r
Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Inelastic Material Effects

Fc

Fy

Fy-Fres

2 ET
KL

Fe

Inelastic
Elastic

2E
KL

KL/r
Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Inelastic Material Effects

Fc

Fy

Fy-Fres

2 ET
KL

Fe

Inelastic
Elastic

2E
KL

KL/r
Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Inelastic Material Effects

Fy

Fe
Fcr 0.658 Fy

Fy

0.44Fy

Fcr 0.877 Fe
Fe

Inelastic
Elastic

KL/r

2E
KL

E
4.71
Fy

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Design Aids
Table 4-22
cFcr as a function of KL/r
Useful for all shapes.
Larger KL/r value controls.
Tables 4-1 to 4-20
cPn as a function of KLy
Can be applied to KLx by
dividing KLy by rx/ry.
Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Slenderness Criteria

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Per Section E.2

Recommended to provide
KL/r less than 200

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Alignment Chart Issues

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Alignment Chart

To account for inelastic column effects,

stiffness reduction factors, a,
used to reduce EI of the columns.
Stiffness Reduction Factors
Table 4-21

Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Alignment Chart
If beams have significant axial load,
they provide less rotational restraint.
Reduce rotational stiffness component (EI/L) of beams
with modification,

1-Q/Qcr
Q = axial load
Qcr = axial in-plane buckling strength with K=1
This is also valid for columns at a joint (multiple stories),
which carry minimal axial load compared to their strengths.
Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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Alignment Chart
To account for story buckling concept, all columns
must reach their capacity to allow for story failure.
Revise K to account for story effects.
K2 from Equation C-A-7-8

EI 2
Pr
L
2 EI
Pr

2

K
L
n2

K2

Kn2

Kn2 = K factor directly from the alignment chart

Pr = Load on the column (factored for LRFD)
Compression AISC Manual 14th Ed

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