1981 History :: Objectives and Purpose of Council

At the first meeting of the Council in 1945, Shortridge Hardesty had presented his concept of the organization's objectives in the following general statement of purpose:

  • The purpose of the Council is to review our existing knowledge of column materials and theory; plan and carry out a program of research and tests; to supplement and develop our knowledge where required; to study the application of results of this program in the practical design of compression members of various types in various kinds of structures; develop a comprehensive series of formulas or rules covering the entire range of compression members; and secure the widest possible adoption of such formulas by specification-writing bodies and by designers.

The statement of purpose was redrafted and made first section of the Council bylaws, covering essentially the same concepts as those outlined by Dr. Hardesty. Quoting from the bylaws as amended in 1951 and continuing without change until 1962 the statement reads: "The general purposes . . . shall be:

  1. "To organize, maintain, and administer a national forum where problems relating to the design and behavior of columns and other compression elements in metal structures can be presented and pertinent structural research problems can be proposed for investigation, with the assurance of an evaluation of all problems proposed and of support for those projects adjudged important.
  2. "To digest critically the world's literature on structural behavior involving compression elements and the properties of metallic materials available for their construction, and make the results widely available to the engineering profession.
  3. "To organize and administer cooperative research projects in the field of compression elements.
  4. "To stimulate, aid and guide column research projects on the foregoing problems in the engineering colleges, endowed laboratories, and other research laboratories.
  5. "To study the application of the results of this program to the design of compression elements.
  6. "To develop a comprehensive and consistent set of formulas or rules covering their design.
  7. "To promote the widest possible adoption of such formulas by designers and specification-writing bodies.
  8. "To publish and disseminate original research information within the field of the Council."

The Council's statement of purpose was substantially revised in 1968 and further minor changes were made in 1976. There is no longer emphasis on developing and promoting specific design rules and formulas as stated in the foregoing items 6 and 7.

In 1980 the statement of purpose read as follows:

  1. To maintain a forum where structural stability aspects of the behavior of frames columns and other compression-type elements in metal and composite structures can be presented for evaluation, and pertinent structural research problems proposed for investigation.
  2. To review the world's literature on structural stability of metal and composite structures and study the properties of metals available for their construction, and to make the results widely available to the engineering profession.
  3. To organize, administer and guide cooperative research projects in the field of structural stability and to enlist financial support for such projects.
  4. To promote publication and dissemination of research information in the field of structural stability.
  5. To study the application of the results of research to stability design of metal and composite structures, and to develop comprehensive and consistent strength and performance criteria and encourage consideration thereof by specification-writing bodies.


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