There was a time long ago, in a galaxy not far away, that columns were designed for a length, L, without K. Then, in the early 1960s, the now-familiar K-factor was codified. Over the many decades since, it came to seem as if the K-factor had always existed. Now, we have methods of design by which columns can be designed that take into account stability using KL = L again. This webinar explores the origins and development of K, the effective length factor, and why it often can now be taken equal to 1.
Source: AISC Live Webinar (10/01/2013)
Speaker(s): Charlie Carter, PhD, SE
This content is free to view. If you would like to receive continuing education credit for this program, you can purchase the credit version here.