Exact solutions for buckling of non-uniform columns under axial concentrated and distributed loading

In this paper, the buckling problem of non-uniform columns subjected to axial concentrated and distributed loading is studied. The expression for describing the distribution of flexural stiffness of a non-uniform column is arbitrary, and the distribution of axial forces acting on the column is expressed as a functional relation with the distribution of flexural stiffness and vice versa. The governing equation for buckling of a non-uniform column with arbitrary distribution of flexural stiffness or axial forces is reduced to a second-order differential equation without the first-order derivative by means of functional transformations. Then, this kind of differential equation is reduced to Bessel equations and other solvable equations for 12 cases, several of which are important in engineering practice. The exact solutions that represent a class of exact functional solutions for the buckling problem of non-uniform columns subjected to axial concentrated and distributed loading are obtained. In order to illustrate the proposed method, a numerical example is given in the last part of this paper.