 Compressed Euler-Bernoulli beam and its endpoint-dependent buckling threshold

Positive compression $\alpha$ contributes negative quadratic potential energy $-\alpha {\varphi }_x^2/2$, while positive bending stiffness $\beta$ contributes $\beta {\varphi }_{xx}^2/2$. A plane wave has ${\omega }^2=(\beta k^4-\alpha k^2)/\rho$, so sufficiently long waves grow exponentially. For displacement-fixed, moment-free endpoints at $0,l$, the natural boundary conditions for a free endpoint on the slope give ${\varphi }_{xx}=0$ as well as $\varphi =0$. The modes are $\sin (n\pi x/l)$, and the first Euler buckling of an elastic filament threshold is ${\alpha }_c=\beta {\pi }^2/l^2$. For truly clamped ends, $\varphi ={\varphi }_x=0$, the threshold is instead $4{\pi }^2\beta /l^2$, with first static mode $1-\cos (2\pi x/l)$. More generally,with the infimum taken over the specified endpoint class. At threshold there is a static zero mode and a marginal linear-in-time partner in the linear dynamics; above it the straight configuration is unstable.