Essentials of Manufacturing

Information, coverage of important developments and expert commentary in manufacturing.

CNC Machining Design Guide

Optimize your designs, reduce machining time, and lower your costs.

Mechanical Engineers Outlook

Guide for those interested in becoming a mechanical engineer. Includes qualifications, pay, and job duties.

Metal 3D Printing Design Guide

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) 3D printing for parts with reduced cost and little waste.

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Imperfections in Columns

Consider a curved column with an initial shape w0(x) that is under an axial load F,

        

Enforcing the moment equilibrium of the free-body yields the equation,

The governing equation for the transverse displacement w can then be expressed as,

The above equation contains a non-homogeneous term -Fw0/EI. To simplify the problem, we assume that the initial curve is a simple half sine wave with an amplitude a,

The general solution is found to be,

where is the critical load of a straight column.

Essentials of Manufacturing

Information, coverage of important developments and expert commentary in manufacturing.

CNC Machining Design Guide

Optimize your designs, reduce machining time, and lower your costs.

Mechanical Engineers Outlook

Guide for those interested in becoming a mechanical engineer. Includes qualifications, pay, and job duties.

Metal 3D Printing Design Guide

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) 3D printing for parts with reduced cost and little waste.