Coupled static and dynamic buckling of thin walled beam by spline finite element

For the coupled static and dynamic buckling of thin walled beam subjected to various forces, such as axial force, uniform bending moment, and bending moment due to concentrated and distributed lateral forces, the spline finite element method is employed to obtain the dynamic stiffness matrix. Second order effects of the axial force and moment are considered. A doubly symmetric cantilever beam with uniform cross-section is investigated. Extensive static and dynamic interaction diagrams are plotted. The effects of warping rigidity, torsional rigidity, axial tension and compression on moment buckling, moment on axial buckling compression, higher buckling modes are discussed in detail. The spline finite element method is proved to be very efficient for the present problem and many interaction diagrams can be plotted easily. Some new results are presented. The methodology is based on finite element formulation and therefore it can be easily extended to analyze structural frames.

► We investigate the axial-moment buckling of beams by spline finite element method.
► Second order effects of the axial force and moment are considered.
► Extensive static and dynamic interaction diagrams are plotted and analyzed.
► The method is efficient and can be easily extended to analyze structural frames.