Slide 1 - Title Slide
"Today, we're going to talk about Long Columns and Seismic Detailing. We'll explore how
slenderness affects column behavior and what the NSCP code requires us to check, especially
under seismic loading."
Slide 2 - Introduction to Long Columns
"Long columns, also called slender columns, can fail prematurely due to buckling. Buckling is a
sudden type of failure and can be catastrophic. In most buildings, short columns are
common-especially for single-story heights. But for columns taller than one story-say, 6 meters or
more-we need to check if they are slender."
Slide 3 - Buckling and Sidesway
"Buckling behavior depends on how the column deforms under load. A key distinction is whether the
frame allows sidesway or not. If the frame is braced or has stiff shear walls, sidesway is negligible.
Otherwise, if there are lateral loads like wind or earthquakes and no bracing, sidesway becomes
significant."
Slide 4 - Braced vs. Unbraced Frames (Fig. 10.1)
"This figure shows braced frames-either through physical braces or stiff shear walls. These
elements prevent excessive lateral movement. When such elements are in place, the structure is
considered nonsway. It's assumed these braces or walls are stiff enough to be effective."
Slide 5 - Rigid Floors and Load Types (Fig. 10.2)
"Concrete floors act as rigid diaphragms, so frames like B and C, which are connected to braced
frames, will also experience negligible sidesway. Also, sidesway can be ignored if the loading is
purely vertical-like dead and live loads."
Slide 6 - When Sidesway Matters
"Sidesway must be considered if: 1) There are no braces or shear walls in the direction being
evaluated, and 2) Lateral loads like wind or earthquake are included in the load combination. If both
conditions are met, the column must be evaluated as a sidesway column."
Slide 7 - NSCP Criteria for Sidesway ([Link])
"The NSCP provides two checks to decide if the frame can be considered nonsway:
a) If second-order moments are less than 5% of first-order moments, or
b) If the Q value is less than 0.05.
The Q formula considers vertical loads, lateral story shear, and story deflection."
Slide 8 - Slenderness Ratio Criteria (406.2.5)
"We now check if slenderness effects should be included.
For sidesway columns: \( kL_u/r \leq 22 \)
For nonsway columns: \( kL_u/r \leq 34 + 12(M_1/M_2) \), and it should never exceed 40.
These criteria tell us when second-order effects like buckling should be considered."
Slide 9 - Curvature Types and Radius of Gyration
"Columns can bend in single or double curvature. In single curvature, end moments act in opposite
directions. In double curvature, they act in the same direction, causing an S-shaped bend.
The radius of gyration \( r \) is used in the slenderness ratio: for rectangles, NSCP allows an
approximation of 0.30h."
Slide 10 - Example: Slenderness Check
"Here's a worked example. A 400mm × 400mm column has an unsupported height of 3.6m. The
fixity constants are 0.83 for nonsway and 1.64 for sidesway. The radius of gyration is 0.3 × 400 =
120 mm.
For nonsway: \( kL/r = (0.83 × 3600)/120 = 24.9 \), which is less than the limit of 40, so slenderness
can be neglected.
For sidesway: \( kL/r = (1.64 × 3600)/120 = 49.2 \), which is greater than 22, so slenderness must be
considered.
This shows that under lateral loads like earthquakes, this column is slender and needs extra design
attention."