STABILITY - DIRECTIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

The role of experimental research is related to the development of sop histicated testing equipment, the computer, and the developing analyti cal capabilities in structural engineering. The goal of this paper is to review experimental developments which directly relate to laborator y testing today and to look ahead at an emerging, more symbiotic relat ionship between experimental and analytical research. Development of s ervo-controlled testing, computer data acquisition/control and the pse udo-dynamic approach to testing are used to illustrate the likely dire ction for stability related structural research. The requirement for t horough measurements in the design of an experiment and complete repor ting of the data including material properties beyond the norm of 'mil l certificates' is essential for credible results. Geometric propertie s, imperfections, and residual stress information are cited as essenti al for evaluation of stability related experimentation. The study of b ehaviour beyond ultimate load, both analytically and experimentally, w hile possible, presents new challenges and solutions when the techniqu es are used together rather than for independent comparison. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.