Review article

The well-known approximate formula for calculating bending moments in rods under bending and compression is generalized to the case of a statically indeterminate rod loaded with a compressive force distributed along the rod. The accuracy of the proposed formula corresponds to the accuracy of engineering calculations. For the rod of constant cross-section compressed by the load amounting to 90% of a critical one, the moment error is about 3% for a statically determinate rod, about 6% for a statically indeterminate rod.