Structural Stability

General Principles for

Structural Stability
1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge,
Washington torsional vibration
under 40 mph (64 km/h) winds
1970 Milford Haven Bridge, Wales
errors in the box girder design
1968 Ronan Point, Newham, East London gas
explosion demolished a load bearing wall, causing
progressive collapse of floor slabs
2013 Menara UMNO, Penang
lightning arrester toppled
Tensile fracture
Compression buckling in web
Compression buckling in flange
Buckling rail lines
What is BUCKLING ??
A physical phenomenon of a reasonably straight, slender
member (or body), bending laterally (usually
abruptly) from its longitudinal position due to
compression.

When a slender structure is loaded in compression, for
small loads, it deforms with hardly any noticeable
change in geometry and load-carrying ability.

On reaching a critical load value, the structure
suddenly experiences a large deformation and it may
lose its ability to carry the load. At this stage, the
structure is considered to have buckled.
What is BUCKLING ??
For example, when a rod is subjected to an axial
compressive force, it first shortens slightly but at critical
load, the rod bows out, and it is said that the rod has
buckled.
In the case of a thin circular ring under radial pressure,
the ring decreases in size slightly before buckling into a
number of a circumferential waves.
For a cruciform column under axial compression, it
shortens and buckles in torsion.
Buckling is considered as a failure mode as it reduces
the compressive resistance of structures to a level lower
than the ultimate value its material can withstand.
Classification of buckling
Overall / global buckling
Local buckling
Interactive buckling (local & overall)
Classification of buckling
Overall / global buckling
Overall / global buckling
(torsional buckling)
Local buckling in a column
Local buckling in a beam flange
Local buckling in the compression
flange of a box girder
Local buckling in the flange and
web of a plate girder
Local buckling in the web and
flange of a composite plate girder
Local buckling in the web and
flange of a curved plate girder
Local buckling in the web of a
tapered plate girder
Concepts of stability..
Primary aim of structural calculations is to
produce safe and strong structures.
Structures fail due to:
Yielding (plastic failure)
Buckling (compressive failure)
Fracture (tensile failure)
Fatigue (long term effect)
Concepts of stability
The deformation of a structure under loads is governed
by the following necessary and sufficient conditions:
Equilibrium conditions (Stress)
Stress-strain relationship (Stress & Strain)
Strain-displacement relationship (Strain & Displacement)

together with the boundary conditions.

These are referred to as Governing Equations.
These conditions govern the equilibrium position of the
loaded structure.
Concepts of stability
When a change in geometry of structure or structural
component under compression results in loss of its ability to
resist loadings, this condition is called instability.

Instability can lead to catastrophic failure in a structure; it
must be taken into account in designing a structure.

In Ultimate Limit State (ULS) design, the structure or
structural component is designed against all pertinent limit
states that may affect the safety or performance of structures
at their maximum load-carrying capacities.

Strength limit states, deal with performance of structures at
their maximum load-carrying capacities.
Examples: structural failure due to either formation of plastic
collapse mechanism, or to member or frame instability.
Concepts of stability
Serviceability Limit State (SLS) are concerned with
structural performance under normal service conditions.
They pertain to appearance, durability, maintainability of
structure.
Examples: deflections, drift, vibration and corrosion.

Importance of considering stability in design is recognised by
most practicing engineers; however, the subject remains
perplexing to some. This is because the use of first order
structural analysis (which is familiar to most engineers) is not
permissible in stability analysis.

In stability analysis, the change in geometry of the structure
must be taken into account. Consequently, equilibrium
equations must be written based on geometry of structure that
becomes deformed under load. This is known as second-order
analysis.
Concepts of stability
The concept of stability is best illustrated by the well-known
example of a ball on a curved surface. For a ball initially in
equilibrium, a slight disturbing force applied to the ball on a
concave surface will displace the ball by small amount, but ball will
return to its initial equilibrium position once it is no longer being
disturbed. In this case, the ball is in a stable equilibrium.
Concepts of stability
If the disturbing force is applied to a ball on convex
surface and then removed, the ball will displace
continuously from, and never return to, its initial
equilibrium position, even if the disturbance was
infinitesimal. The ball is now in unstable equilibrium.
Concepts of stability
If the disturbing force is applied to the ball on a flat
surface, the ball will attain a new equilibrium position to
which the disturbance has moved it and will stay there
when the disturbance is removed. The ball is in a neutral
equilibrium.
Concepts of stability
Concepts of stability
The definitions of stable and unstable equilibrium apply only
to cases in which the disturbing force is very small.
It is possible for a ball, under certain conditions to go from
one equilibrium position to another. For example, a ball that
is stable under small disturbance may go to an unstable
equilibrium under large disturbance (Fig. a) or vice versa
(Fig. b).
This is known as effect of finite disturbance.
Fig. (a) Fig. (b)
Types of instability..
Buckling (instability) of structures can be
grouped into 2 categories:
Bifurcation buckling
Limit load buckling
Types of instability..
Bifurcation buckling
The deflection under compressive load changes from one
direction to an alternative (different) direction.
For examples,
from axial shortening to lateral deflection (buckling of
columns loaded axially and buckling of thin plates
subjected to in-plane compressive forces) or buckling of
rings subjected to radial compressive forces.
The load at which the bifurcation occurs is called the
critical load.
The deflection path that exists prior to bifurcation is
known as the primary path, and the deflection path after
bifurcation is called the secondary/post-buckling path.
Types of instability..
Limit load buckling
This type of instability is characterized by the fact
that there is only a single mode of deflection from
start of loading to the limit or maximum load.
The structure attains a maximum load without any
previous bifurcation.
For examples,
buckling of shallow arches and spherical caps under
uniform external pressure
Types of instability..
Limit load buckling
Methods of buckling analysis
1. Vector approach
2. Energy approach

to obtain the GOVERNING EQUATIONS
in the form of eigenvalue problems
eigenvalue represents the buckling load
whilst eigenvector the buckling mode
Why do we do buckling analysis ?
Buckling load provides the basis for
commonly used formulas in the design codes.

An essential step towards understanding the
buckling behaviour of complex structures,
initial imperfections, residual stresses, etc.

To obtain more accurate results especially
when there are no standard solutions
available.
The history
Leonhard Euler (1707-1783)
The first study on elastic stability on equilibrium equation and
buckling load of a compressed elastic column.
Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736-1813)
Developed the energy approach for the study of mechanics
problems.
Jules Henry Poincare (1854-1912)
Founder of the bifurcation theory and the classification of
singularities.
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Liapunov (1857-1918)
Introduced the generalised energy functions (Liapunov functions)
Theodore von Karman (1881-1963)
Worked on inelastic buckling of columns, hysteresis loops and
plastic deformation of beams.
Warner Tjardus Koiter (1914-1997)
Initiated the classical non-linear bifurcation theory.