Buckling is an instability phenomenon in structural mechanics that occurs when a cross‑section, member or system deforms under a compressive (squishing) action. This failure mode is impacted by a variety of factors, including loading and support conditions, unbraced length, cross‑sectional geometry, material properties, initial member out‑of‑straightness and residual stresses.
Metal structural elements can buckle in a variety of ways, including local, torsional (twisting), flexural (bending), lateral‑torsional and flexural‑torsional. These modes can be difficult to visualize, which is why we created a series of 3D models to illustrate how different conditions affect buckling behavior.