POST-COLLAPSE BIFURCATION-ANALYSIS OF SHELLS OF REVOLUTION BY THE ACCUMULATED ARC-LENGTH METHOD

Shells of revolution subject to axisymmetric loads often fail by non-s ymmetric bifurcation buckling after non-linear axisymmetric deformatio ns. A number of computer programmes have been developed in the past de cades for these problems, but none of them is capable of bifurcation a nalysis on the descending branch of the primary load-deflection path f ollowing axisymmetric collapse/snap-through. This paper presents the f irst finite element formulation of post-collapse bifurcation-analysis of axisymmetric shells in which a modified are-length method, the accu mulated are-length method, is developed to effect a new automatic bifu rcation solution procedure. Numerical examples are presented to demons trate the validity and capability of the formulation as well as the pr actical importance of post-collapse bifurcation analysis. The accumula ted are-length method proposed here can also be applied to the post-co llapse bifurcation analysis of other structural forms. (C) 1997 by Joh n Wiley & Sons, Ltd.