On Inelastic Column Buckling

Abstract

In 1971 Yura presented the concept of the inelastic K-factor, which provides a more accurate estimate of the effective length of a column that buckles at a stress level beyond the proportional limit. For the most simple applications, the essence of the idea is that the end restraint factor, G, as required for use of the alignment charts or equations for evaluation of K, should be modified. The purpose of this paper is to present a procedure for the evaluation of ET/E which retains all the simplicity of Disques method, but eliminates that small error. The slight differences in ET/E values would hardly be worth any additional efforts, but if a correct formulation gives more precise results consistent with the AISC Specification and can be achieved at no extra cost, why not use it?