New Practical Approach to Plastic Analysis of Steel Structures

Abstract

The current practical methods for plastic analysis of steel structures are mainly based on plastic hinge or modified plastic hinge methods. These methods are simple and practical but they have some drawbacks. The main weakness of these methods is concentrating the nonlinear effects in one point and neglecting the gradual yielding of the material. This research focuses on the propagation effects of the plasticity in both section and length of the element. The proposed methodology employs a variable section in the plastic region of the element. The results of this method on selected practical cases are presented and compared with the exact solutions as well as the results of other methods. The comparison shows the proposed method to be more accurate, and also easier and more efficient to implement.