For most structures, all the members resisting axial compression need checking to ensure adequate resistance to buckling about both the major- and minor-axis. Since the axial force can vary throughout the member and the buckling lengths in the two planes do not necessarily coincide, both are checked. Because of the general nature of a column, it may not always be safe to assume that the combined buckling check will always govern. Hence the compression resistance check is performed independently from all other strength and buckling checks.

Effective lengths

The value of effective length factor is entirely at your choice. The default value is 1.0. Different values can apply in the major and minor axis.

The minimum theoretical value is 0.5 and the maximum infinity for columns in rigid moment resisting (RMR) frames. Practical values for simple columns are in the range 0.7 to 2.0. Values less than 1.0 can be chosen for non-sway frames or for sway frames in which the effects of sway are taken into account using the amplified moments method. However, there is a caveat on the value of effective length factor even when allowance is made for sway.

In particular for RMR frames, the principal moments due to frame action preventing sway are in one plane of the frame. There will often be little or no moment out-of-plane and so amplification of these moments has little effect. Nevertheless the stability out-of-plane can still be compromised by the lack of restraint due to sway sensitivity in that direction. In such cases a value of greater then 1.0 (or substantially greater) may be required. Similarly, in simple construction where only eccentricity moments exist, it is only the brace forces that “attract” any amplification. Thus for the column themselves the reduced restraining effect of a sway sensitive structure may require effective length factors greater than 1.0 as given in Table 22 of BS 5950-1: 2000.