Limit load capacity of compressed beam with imperfections

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical investigation of elastic and inelastic buckling of thin-walled beam with initial imperfections. The main aim of this paper is to show that the fracture of beams varies from brittle to extremely ductile depending on the imperfections. Elastic solution for estimation of initial imperfections against the limit load capacity in the elastic range is well known. However, the elastic solution can be applied only to the line of limit load capacity. Examination of the limit load capacity of structure is very complicate problem of material non-linearity, because this problem must includes the plastic mechanism of failure. In this paper the limit load capacity of beam is analyzed using the reological-dynamical analogy (RDA) [4]. In order to demonstrate the ability of RDA, the comparison with experimental and numerical results of one steel beam from Ref [1] by Murray, is done.

Keywords

• Thin-walled beam
• initial imperfections
• plastic mechanism of failure
• RDA
• limit load capacity
• post-critical bahaviour
• damage variable