Abstract
This work presents a second-order inelastic analysis of steel arches. The analysis of shallow and non-shallow arches with several cross sections and boundary and loads conditions are discussed. The computational platform used is the homemade CS-ASA, which performs advanced nonlinear static and dynamic analysis of structures. The nonlinear geometric effects are considered using a co-rotational finite element formulation; the material inelasticity is simulated by coupling the Refined Plastic Hinge Method (RPHM) with the Strain Compatibility Method (SCM), and the static nonlinear solution is based on an incremental-iterative strategy including continuation techniques. In the simulated nonlinear steel arch models, special attention is given to the equilibrium paths, the influence of rise-to-span ratio, support and loading conditions and full yield curves among other factors. The numerical results obtained show good agreement with those from literature and highlight that the arch rise-to-span ratio has great influence on the structure resistance and that the shallow arches can lose stability through the snap-through phenomenon.
Highlights
The function of a structure can be interpreted as its capacity to receive loads, transmit them to the supports and to the ground, constituting a stable set
Pi and Bradford (2014) verified the effects of geometric nonlinearity (GNL) on the elastic analysis of crown-pinned steel arches under uniform radial load and developed an analytical solution based on the stationary potential energy principle to determine the equilibrium equations of the structural system
The objective of the Refined Plastic Hinge Method (RPHM) is to capture the advance of the plastification, at the nodal points of the finite elements from the yield beginning until total plastification of the cross section with the formation of the plastic hinge
Summary
The function of a structure can be interpreted as its capacity to receive loads, transmit them to the supports and to the ground, constituting a stable set. Pi and Bradford (2014) verified the effects of GNL on the elastic analysis of crown-pinned steel arches under uniform radial load and developed an analytical solution based on the stationary potential energy principle to determine the equilibrium equations of the structural system These authors verified that GNL significantly influences the arch behaviour and buckling. In the context of the inelastic analysis of arches, Pi and Trahair (1996a) performed analysis using a computer program based on the FEM developed by the authors in 1994 (Pi and Trahair, 1994a, 1994b) Through this program, these researchers studied the inelastic buckling and critical load of circular steel arches with I-section, considering the effects of curvature, large deformations, initial geometric imperfection and residual stress of the arches.
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