The Buckling Load of Extensible Rods.

Although it is often asserted that, in view of their reduced length, axially compressible beams have a higher buckling load than their inextensible counterparts, a detailed analysis demonstrates that this is not necessarily the case. The argument to arrive at this conclusion is made in terms of relatively straightforward concepts of elasticity and structural mechanics. It is shown that for certain classes of materials, the reduced prebuckling length is more than compensated for by a softening of the elastic response, leading to a reduction of the Euler critical load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]