The buckling of compressively loaded members is one of the most important factors limiting the overall strength and stability of a structure. In this work, experimental work has been carried out to examine the effect of force generated by PZT on the control of buckling of a column structure. The test procedure is outlined and load strain plots, obtained with and without control are presented. A theoretical buckling analysis is also done to evaluate the critical buckling load of the test specimen using expressions available in literature. Open loop experiments demonstrate that piezoelectric force is useful in offsetting the initial imperfection induced moment. From the experience gained from the open loop experiments, closed loop experiments are carried out. Closed loop experiments demonstrate that the buckling of the column could be postponed by using a feedback loop involving piezoelectric actuation and strain gage sensing. The column with control is shown to clearly demonstrate an increase of up to 123% in axial compressive load carrying capacity compared to those without control. © 2007 COMADEM International.