LOCKING-FREE STRAIGHT BEAM ELEMENT BASED ON CURVATURE

The formulation of a straight beam element to eliminate the shear lock ing phenomenon is presented. The element is based on curvature so that the bending energy is fully represented, and the shear strain energy is incorporated into the formulation by the equilibrium equation. Four examples are chosen to verify the concept of the element employed and its capability of the analysis. The solutions obtained reveal that th e element describes the behaviour of the straight beam quite exactly a nd efficiently, showing no locking and that it is also applicable to t he analysis of both thin and thick straight beams.