Effect of Welding Joint Locations on the Buckling Strength of Long Slender Steel Bars

This work studied the effect of welding joint location on the critical load value, buckling strength, and maximum deflection for slender long columns of mild steel. Numerical models are used also to simulate the buckling of welded columns with two types of ends fixity (Pin-fixed and Fixed-Fixed) and compare the results with experimental results. Results show that the location of the welding joint at the middle point of the column gave the lower value of the critical load, buckling strength, and maximum deflection of the column. While the location of the welding joint at the first quarter of column length will give the best critical load, buckling strength, and minimum deflection of the column. The maximum divergences between the experimental and numerical results reach 9% for pin-fixed ends type and 11% for pin-pin fixed ends.