Nonlinear Stability Analysis of Steel Members by Finite Element Method

Abstract

A finite element method, using versatile curved elements and some special techniques, is presented in this paper for nonlinear stability analysis of steel members. The method and its computer program can be applied to the analysis of elastoplastic local, overall, and local‐overall interactive instability problems of steel members with arbitrary cross sections and arbitrary boundary conditions. All initial imperfections, including initial deflections, initial eccentricities, and residual stresses, can be taken into account in analysis. Compared with the results of other numerical methods and experiments, the effectiveness and accuracy of the present theory are quite satisfactory.