STABILITY ANALYSIS OF SLENDER REINFORCED CONCRETE RECTANGULAR COLUMNS UNDER AXIAL COMPRESSION

The objective of this paper is to produce new design and verification charts for reinforced concrete rectangular columns subjected to axial compression in accordance with the Eurocode 2. The reason behind such a research is that stability analysis is a complex problem that includes not only first order effects but also second order ones. The solution depends on a number of parameters and comes from non-polynomial equations which makes the resolution very tedious and needs the use of computer programs. This article considers the case of rectangular beams and provides solutions to it. The presented solutions of the problem are in form of design charts. The design charts presented in this paper are an important tool, quick and easy to use, which will enable engineers to design slender columns or verify their stability without the use of a computer. It will also help them design columns in a economic way as they will see the influence of each parameter on the stability of the element.