Analytical and numerical calculation of the critical buckling load in compound columns

This study represents investigation of the critical buckling load in columns, which consist of two different materials for case of (fixed-free) loading in order to choose the suitable compound ratio. The investigation is done with two methods: analytical method through suggested equation for calculation of equivalent modulus of elasticity and numerical finite-element method with ANSYS APDL 17.2. The analytical and numerical results showed excellent agreement with each other because of the qualification of the suggested equation of the equivalent modulus of elasticity for the compound column. The critical buckling load is sensitive to the difference between the modulus of elasticity for the two different materials of the compound column, which also affects the ratio of the critical buckling load to the mass of the compound column.