Putting Theory into Practice We have covered the theory of Buckling (Part 1) , the Slenderness Ratio (Part 2) , and the critical decision between the Euler and J.B. Johnson formulas (Part 5) . Now, let’s solve a real-world design problem. We will perform the calculation manually first to understand the physics, and then look at how to automate this in Excel. Search for Roark's Formulas for Stress and Strain Advertisement The Design Problem Scenario: A machine designer needs to calculate the allowable load for a rectangular steel column. Material: AISI 1040 Hot-Rolled Steel Dimensions: 80 mm × 30 mm cross-section, 380 mm length. End Conditions: The upper end is pinned; the lower end is welded securely into a socket (Fixed). Figure 1: Our design example: A 380mm long rectangular column with Pinned-Fixed ends. Note that it will buckle along its weakest (30 mm) dimension. Step 1: Geometric Properties First, we ana...