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The compressive tip force is limited by Euler buckling of an elastic filament. With unsupported length $\ell$ and filament bending modulus $B=EI$,For a hollow microtubule, use $I=\pi (r_o^4-r_i^4)/4$ rather than the solid-cylinder value. For a clamped seed and a moment-free tip free to slide along the wall, linearized angle balance is $B{\theta }^{\prime \prime }+F\theta =0$, with $\theta (0)=0$ and ${\theta }^{\prime }(\ell )=0$. Its first nonzero solution has $\sqrt{F/B}\ell =\pi /2$, hence $F_c={\pi }^{2}B/(4{\ell }^2)$. A different tip constraint changes this coefficient.

Increasing the unsupported length decreases that threshold. For growth against a wall at fixed projected gap $d$, polymerization-driven cantilever postbuckling gives a more direct quantitative statement. The inextensible elastica obeys $B{\theta }^{\prime \prime }+F\sin \theta =0$. Multiplying by ${\theta }^{\prime }$ and using the zero tip moment givesPut $k=\sin ({\theta }_t/2)$ and substitute $\sin (\theta /2)=k\sin \varphi$. Integrating arc length and its horizontal projection giveswhere the complete elliptic integrals are $K(k)={\int }_0^{\pi /2}(1-k^2{\sin }^2\varphi {)}^{-1/2}d\varphi$ and $E(k)={\int }_0^{\pi /2}(1-k^2{\sin }^2\varphi {)}^{1/2}d\varphi$. Using $K=(\pi /2)(1+k^2/4+\cdots )$ and $E=(\pi /2)(1-k^2/4+\cdots )$ gives $\ell /d=1+k^2+O(k^4)$, and thereforeThus the initial postbuckling force decreases as more contour is inserted. This result describes the weakly buckled branch before overhang, further wall contact, or altered tip constraints invalidate the model. It is a mechanical force law; a chemical force limit from polymerization can impose a smaller force.