Optimum Location of an Interior Hinge on a Column

Abstract

The buckling of a column, clamped at both ends and with an interior hinge is studied. It is shown that the buckling load of a column with an interior hinge depends on the location of the hinge. The optimum location of a hinge (for maximum buckling strength) is 21.9% of the total length from one end for a clamped-clamped column (a decrease of only 11% from the no-hinge load). For a clamped-pinned column, the optimal hinge location is 30.1% from the clamped end without any decrease in buckling load.