"What is the physical difference between buckling failure and compressive failure"?

Answer 1

Buckling failure is a form of compressive failure. If you build a tall column on a concrete pad then overload it until it fails, the concrete may crack and fail from too much pressure; or the column many buckle by bowing out and collapsing if it is not stiff enough. A one inch soda straw and a very long soda straw of the same diameter may both fail due compressive loads but only the long straw will buckle.

Answer 2

Compression failure occurs when the yeild point of the material is reached and the bonds that hold the material together break apart.

Buckling is considered a loss of stability and will occur if a column is slender, too thin compared with its height. This type of failure is easy to see because there will be a signifigant deflection usually at the centre of the column or beam-column.

Buckling is generally the critical failure mode if you are designing a structure with steel shapes where as compression is the critical failure mode when designing a reinforced concrete structure

Answer 3

"buckling is a failure mode characterised by a sudden failure of a structural member that is subjected to high compressive stresses where the actual compressive stresses at failure are lower than the compressive stresses that the material is capable of withstanding"
--Wikipedia BUCKLING (see helpful picture there)

In plain English, compression failure would be crushing straight in the direction of force. In buckling, the material moves out in a different direction.

Answer 4

there is more than one type of failure????