A Simple Stepped-Column Buckling Model and Computer Algorithm

The paper presents a solution to the problem of obtaining the effective length ratios needed for the design of stepped columns. The formulation of a discrete model is presented, and a numerical algorithm is implemented to solve it as a matrix eigenvalue problem. The method is an alternative to using tabulated results, which have been obtained from closed-form solutions for a number of ideal boundary conditions, which in most practical cases is cumbersome and almost always unpredictably inaccurate. A MATLAB coding of the algorithm is provided, and examples illustrating its use are included.