The upper end of a W 8 × 21 wide-flange steel column (E = 30 × 103 ksi) is supported laterally between two pipes (see figure).
The pipes are not attached to the column, and friction between the pipes and the column is unreliable. The base of the column provides a fixed support, and the column is 13 ft long.
Determine the critical load for the column, considering Euler buckling in the plane of the web and also perpendicular to the plane of the web.
