ADVISORY DESK

AD 270

Strut Slenderness
and BS 5950-1: 2000
Since the revision to BS 5950-1 in 2000, our Advisory Service has
received many questions concerning the removal of the maximum
slenderness values for struts (180, 250 and 350) that were found in Cl.
4.7.3.2 of BS 5950-1: 1990.
The last paragraph in Cl. 4.7.3.2 of BS 5950-1: 1990 has also been
removed. This covered struts of a slenderness greater than 180, and
required that if self weight deflection exceeded length/1000, the
bending effects needed to be taken into account in design.
The removal of the slenderness values and the comment about
bending effects was not a mistake. They have not been lost from the
revised Code by some unfortunate error during editing or printing at
the time of the revision, as has been suggested several times. The
removal of the maximum slenderness values was, in fact, a
deliberate decision of the Code Committee.
The compressive strength (pc) of a strut is obtained from Table 24 in
BS 5950-1: 2000. These values come from the equations of the
various strut curves found in Annex C, in particular C1 and C2. A
typical strut-buckling curve from BS 5950-1 is as shown in Figure 1,
together with the Euler buckling curve.
In the high slenderness region of the strut-buckling curve, Fig. 1
shows that there are no cut-offs, breaks or steps at certain values of
slenderness as was implied by Cl. 4.7.3.2 of BS 5950-1: 1990. In this
region the curve is smooth, continuous and, in theory, continues to a
slenderness of infinity. However, as the slenderness of a strut
increases, the compressive strength reduces and in the high
slenderness region it tends to zero.
Consequently, the maximum values of slenderness in Cl. 4.7.3.2 of
BS 5950-1: 1990 were simply custom and practice that had been
incorporated into the main UK steel design code and first introduced

Fig. 1. Typical strut (flexural) buckling curve (BS 5950-1, 1990 & 2000)

into BS 449 many years ago. As can be seen from Fig. 1, these
maximum slenderness values were arbitrary and had no particular
technical justification and thus the Code Committee decided to
remove them. In addition, the paragraph concerning self-weight
deflection has also been removed because it too was arbitrary,
because some bending effects due to self weight are present in all
horizontal or inclined struts.
Although the values or limits in Cl. 4.7.3.2 of BS 5950-1: 1990 were
arbitrary, when designing struts in the high slenderness region of a
strut-buckling curve to BS 5950-1: 2000 it would be prudent for the
designer to bear in mind the following points:
If the strut is horizontal or inclined then the designer should
determine whether bending and/or lateral torsional buckling due
to self-weight needs to be taken into account.
If struts to BS 5950-1: 1990 were governed by the slenderness
limits and not the calculated capacity, some reserve of strength
existed. This reserve of capacity may not exist in struts designed
to BS 5950-1: 2000, and hence designers should carefully
consider all loading cases.
Bearing these points in mind, struts in the high slenderness region of
a strut-buckling curve may be designed safely to BS 5950-1: 2000.
Contact Thomas Cosgrove, SCI
Telephone 01344 623345 Email t.cosgrove@steel-sci.com