College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 2
College of Engineering
Department - Author 2
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 2
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 3
College of Engineering
Department - Author 3
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 3
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 4
College of Engineering
Department - Author 4
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 4
BS in Mechanical Engineering
Date
6-2026
Primary Advisor
John Pakkala, College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department
Additional Advisors
Eric Ocegueda, College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department
Abstract/Summary
The objective of this senior design project is to design and develop an instructional buckling apparatus (hereafter referred to as a “buckling tester”) to enhance student comprehension of column buckling behavior through direct experimental investigation. The apparatus is specifically intended to bridge the gap between theoretical predictions and observed physical response of structural column members subjected to axial compressive loading. In particular, the system will allow students to examine how column behavior transitions between Euler’s elastic buckling theory, which governs long, slender columns, and the Johnson parabolic formula, which more accurately describes intermediate and shorter columns influenced by material yielding. By testing columns of identical cross-section geometry, but varying effective column lengths, students will generate a range of slenderness ratios and experimentally determine corresponding critical loads. These results will then be compared to theoretical predictions from both Euler and Johnson models, reinforcing the limitations, assumptions, and applicable ranges of each formulation.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/mesp/919