FINITE-ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF LATERAL BUCKLING FOR BEAM STRUCTURES

The application of finite element analysis to lateral buckling problem s, locating the critical points and tracing the postbifurcation path, is treated on the basis of a geometrically nonlinear formulation for a beam with small elastic strain but with possibly large rotations. The existing finite element formulations for thin beams are examined in t he aspect of application to bifurcation problems, such as lateral buck ling, and the choice of an appropriate rotation parameter for represen ting incremental or variational rotations in finite element formulatio ns is discussed in relation to locating bifurcation points. This is il lustrated through several numerical examples and followed by appropria te discussion.