CRITICAL HEIGHT FOR SELF-WEIGHT BUCKLING IN TAPERED TREES

Abstract

 Wild trees have solid cross sections and heavy branches. In order for trees to grow tall and large in their living environment, the ability to properly control their weight are required. The various mechanical rationalities to buckling under self-weight are hidden in trees form, it is therefore conceivable that clarification of them makes realization rational tower structure possible. The purpose of this study is to derive the theoretical solution of critical height for self-weight buckling in tapered trees and clarification the mechanical rationalities of tapered form. We model trees as cylinder with various tapers and derive theoretical solutions by effectively using boundary and mechanical conditions. By this study, theoretical solutions of critical height in tapered trees were derived and the simple calculation formulas were obtained by nonlinear regression analysis. Moreover, the theoretical and FEM based numerical solutions were compared with each other.