Abstract— Minimum mass configurations, with a buckling load constraint, of the two stepped cantilever column, used in many fields of engineering, with the single or two materials (compound) in each segment of the step, are obtained. A mathematical formulation, to evaluate the buckling loads of the columns with the single or two different materials, used in the segments of the two steps, is presented. The constituent materials used in the design of the two stepped columns are aluminum, steel, copper and titanium, either independently or in combination. The minimum mass obtained for the two stepped steel cantilever column, by using the numerical search algorithm, compare very well with that evaluated by the exact and the finite element solution. The advantage of using the single the two different materials in the segments, in the minimum mass design of the compound two stepped columns, is established.

Index Terms— Buckling, Two stepped columns, Different materials, Buckling load constraint, Minimum mass design

Cite: V Sridhar Patnaik, G Venkateswara Rao, and A V S S K S Gupta, " Minimum Mass Design of Compound Cantilever Columns with Buckling Load Constraint through Numerical Search," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 196-206, July 2012.