IHS ESDU Design for minimum weight. Struts of uniform section. Thin-walled round tubes. 85014

ESDU 85014 provides graphs that allow the dimensions of the minimum weight strut to be determined with a chosen probability and confidence that overall buckling will occur before local buckling. The use of probability and confidence values relates to a statistical analysis given in ESDU 83034 of experimental results that takes into account the effect of local irregularities on local buckling. The effect of eccentricity of loading and initial bow on overall buckling is not taken into account. End conditions can be both ends fixed or pinned, one end fixed and one pinned, one end fixed and one free, or both ends fixed in rotation but one free in translation. To obtain an optimum standard size tube, the next standard smallest diameter tube to the optimum found from ESDU 85014 is chosen, its thickness increased in standard increments, and each case analysed using ESDU Struct 01.01.01 until a size that supports the applied load is achieved. Practical worked examples illustrate the use of the data.