CHAPTER-4

PLASTIC ANALYSIS

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 INTRODUCTION
• Elastic analysis of a structure is based on the assumption
that stresses in a material is less than the yield stress
(elastic limit).
• i.e., a linear stress-strain r/n ship is assumed.
(displacements are proportional to forces)
• However, some materials can sustain loads greater than
the load that first causes a yield to occur.
• Thus, elastic load capacity is not a failure load for such
type of materials.

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 INTRODUCTION
• In plastic analysis the strength of materials
beyond the yield stress is utilized.
• Plastic analysis is a method of analysis
through which the actual failure load of a
structure is calculated.
• i.e., it is based on finding the collapse load of
the structure.
• The load carrying capacity of a structure is
reached when sufficient numbers of plastic
hinges have formed to make the structure
unstable.

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 INTRODUCTION
When a structure become unstable due to
formation of sufficient number of plastic
hinges, it is called mechanism.
This requires a knowledge of how the
structure behaves when the stresses in the
material exceed the elastic limit.
Thus, before analyzing structures, let us
review behavior of a material and behavior of
cross section of a structure beyond the elastic
limit.

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 MATERIAL BEHAVIOR
Consider a stress-strain diagram for a ductile material
such as structural steel;

Stress

u
Failure

y Strain
Plastic hardening

Elastic
Strain
y

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 MATERIAL BEHAVIOR
 As can be seen, the material can sustain strains far in
excess of the strain at which yield occurs before
failure.
 This property of the material is called its ductility.
 Though complex models do exist to accurately reflect
the above real behavior of the material, the most
common, and simplest, model is the idealized stress-
strain curve shown in the next slide.

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 MATERIAL BEHAVIOR

y

y u

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 CROSS-SECTION BEHAVIOR
• Consider an arbitrary cross-section with a vertical
plane of symmetry, which is also the plane of loading.
• The cross section is subject to an increasing bending
moment.
• The stresses and strains in the cross section for
different stages of loading are shown in the next slide.

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CROSS-SECTION
BEHAVIOR

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 CROSS-SECTION BEHAVIOR
Stage 1 – Elastic Bending
The applied moment causes stresses over the
cross-section that are all less than the
yield stress of the material.
The distribution of both stress and strain over the
cross-section is linear. i.e., stresses and strains are
proportional.

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 CROSS-SECTION BEHAVIOR

Stage 2 – Yield Moment

yield stress of the material is reached at
the outermost fiber(s) of the cross-section.
All other stresses in the cross section are
less than the yield stress.
This is limit of applicability of an elastic
analysis and of elastic design.

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 CROSS-SECTION BEHAVIOR
Stage 3 – Elasto-Plastic Bending
Moment applied to the cross section has been
increased beyond the yield moment.
By the idealized stress-strain curve, the material
cannot sustain a stress greater than yield stress,
The fibers at the yield stress have progressed
inwards towards the center of the beam.
Thus, over the cross section there is an elastic
core and a plastic region.

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 CROSS-SECTION BEHAVIOR
Stage 4 – Plastic Bending

The applied moment to the cross section is such that

all fibers in the cross section are
at yield stress.
This is termed the Plastic Moment Capacity of the
section.
Once the plastic moment capacity is reached, any
attempt at increasing the moment results in more
rotation.

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 CROSS-SECTION BEHAVIOR
Stage 4 – Plastic Bending
At this stage of loading, since the section can
rotate freely, it is said to be a hinge is formed at
the location of this section.
This Hinge is termed a plastic hinge, and is the
basis for plastic analysis.
At the plastic hinge stresses remain constant, but
strains and hence rotations can increase.

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CROSS-SECTION BEHAVIOR

Example: Consider a simply supported beam

Subjected to a gradually increasing load P.
P

Pe M<My

Pc = Pw
M= My =Me

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Plastic hinge M=Mp
 ANALYSIS OF RECTANGULAR CROSS
SECTION
A cross section can sustain more load
than just the yield moment.
But, how much more? This depends on shape
of the cross section.
We want to find the elastic moment capacity
and plastic moment capacity of a rectangular
section.

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 ANALYSIS OF RECTANGULAR CROSS
SECTION
y y
C C
Neutral Axis
d
My
T
T
b y
Rectangular section Elastic Bending Plastic Bending
stress stress

bd 2 bd 2 Mp Zp
My   y Z e y Mp   y Z p y SF   1.5
6 4 My Ze

Where: ZP = bd2/4 is the plastic section modulus

Ze = bd2/6 is the elastic section modulus

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SF = is the shape factor.
 ANALYSIS OF RECTANGULAR CROSS
SECTION
• The ratio of elastic to plastic moment capacity
is called shape factor.
• So a Rectangular section can sustain 50% more
moment than the yield moment, before a
plastic hinge is formed.
• Therefore the shape factor is a good measure of
the efficiency of a cross section in bending.
• Shape factors for some other cross sections are
given the next slide.

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 SHAPE FACTORS
Shape of Cross-section Shape Factor

Circular 1.698

Triangular 2.3-2.4

I-Section 1.12-1.18

T-Section 1.75-1.80

Diamond 2

Rectangular 1.5

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PLASTIC NEUTRAL AXIS (P.N.A)

y
C  A1 Y T  A2 Y
C
 For equilibrium of the cross-section;

T C T

 A1 Y  A2 Y  A1  A2
y
Thus, P.N.A is an equal area axis

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 NUMBER OF HINGES FOR
COLLAPSE
According to the theory of plasticity, a structure
is deemed to have reached the limit of
its load carrying capacity when it forms
sufficient hinges to convert it into a mechanism
with consequent collapse.
This is normally one hinge more than the
number of degrees of-indeterminacy (ID) in the
structure.

N h I D  1
I D 2m  r  2n for  Beams
I D 3m  r  3n for  Frames

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NUMBER OF HINGES FOR COLLAPSE

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NUMBER OF HINGES FOR COLLAPSE
It is possible for part of a structure to
collapse while the rest remains stable. In
this instance full collapse does not occur
and the number of hinges required to
cause partial collapse is less than the
(ID+1).
Consider the multi-span beam shown in
the next slide. Ignoring horizontal forces:
I D 2m  r  2n 2(4)  5  5 3

 N h I D  1 3  1 4

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NUMBER OF HINGES FOR
COLLAPSE

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 NUMBER OF HINGES FOR
COLLAPSE
As seen in the previous slide, more than one collapse
mechanism may be possible. The correct mechanism is
the one which fulfils the following three conditions.
1. the mechanism condition
2. the equilibrium condition and
3. the yield condition
Provided that these three conditions can be satisfied
then the correct mechanism or the true collapse load
can be identified
.

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 POSSIBLE HINGE POSITIONS
Since the bending moment cannot exceed the Mp
value for a given cross-section it is evident that
when hinges develop they will occur at the
positions of maximum bending moment such as:
1.fixed supports
2.interior supports
3.rigid-joints
4.under point loads
5.within the region of distributed loads

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 PLASTIC ANALYSIS METHODS
 There are two methods of analysis which
are frequently used to determine the values
of plastic moment of resistance for
sections, required for a structure to collapse
at specified factored loads; they are:
1.Static Method (Equilibrium Method)
2.Kinematic Method (Virtual Work Method).

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 INCREMENTAL ANALYSIS
 To assess the behavior of a simple statically
indeterminate structure under increasing load,
consider a propped cantilever with mid-span
point load:

 From Elastic Analysis:

 Take 3PL 5PL

MA  MC 
16 32

M y 7.5kNm M p 9kNm L 1m

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INCREMENTAL ANALYSIS

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INCREMENTAL ANALYSIS

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INCREMENTAL ANALYSIS

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INCREMENTAL ANALYSIS

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SOLVED PROBLEMS

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