FUNDAMENTAL MODELS OF STRUCTURAL STABILITY

Abstract

In this paper, basic structural stability phenomena are described. After some general comments about stability in the field of civil engineering, four elementary sources of nonlinearity are mentioned: of equilibrium equations, strain (geometry) relations, material (stress-strain) law, force and displacement boundary conditions. Four fundamental stability models are analysed, both ideal (perfect) and with geometric imperfection. Besides geometrically exact theory, initial post-buckling behavior and linearization are briefly sketched. This paper is concluded with comments about the influence of plasticity.

Keywords

• structural stability
• buckling
• bifurcation point
• limit point
• imperfection