A NEW CRITERION FOR DETERMINATION OF INITIAL LOADING PARAMETER IN ARC-LENGTH METHODS

The are-length method has been extensively applied in the last decade to trace solution paths in nonlinear static structural problems. The s ign of the loading parameter increment in the predictor phase of the m ethod, however, must be determined according to some criteria which ar e not well established. By further investigation of the approach withi n the framework of continuation methods in this paper, a new criterion has been proposed, which can be incorporated into both direct and ite rative solvers, and has proved to be very successful for the test prob lems considered.