PLASTIC ANALYSIS OF STEEL

STRUCTURES
Definition of some material properties:
• Elastic deformation: deformation that disappears on
removal of load that caused that deformation
• Plastic deformation: deformation which remains
permanently upon removal of load
• Strain hardening: increase in load during plastic
deformation
• Ductility: ability to deform plastically many times the
maximum elastic deformation before fracture
• Brittleness: inability to deform plastically before
fracture
• Creep: deformation which increases with time
Typical Stress Vs Strain Relationship of Materials
 Cross Section and stresses

Moment-rotation curve
 Note on α in figure
• α is the ration of depth of elastic to plastic
regions and reduces from 1.0 at My to 0 at full
Mp
 Assume an idealized ‘elastic-perfectly’
stress/strain curvature for mild steel
• Stresses increase elastically until M = My i.e. when the
extreme ‘fibre stress’ just reaches yield
• It is assumed that the material cannot support a stress
greater than σy and that plasticity begins to spread in
towards the neutral axis of member
• When the entire cross section has become plastic, with
the stress everywhere equal to either +σy or –σy, the
value reached by the moment is called the fully plastic
moment, Mp
• The neutral axis will now cut the cross section into
equal areas so that there is no-out-of-balance
longitudinal force on the cross section
• A plastic hinge is said to have formed at the cross
section, its characteristic being that rotation of the
section will occur under constant moment, Mp
Analysis of rectangular section
 Shape Factor
• The ratio of plastic to elastic moment capacity is
called shape factor, f or α, and is property of
cross section alone.
•

• Shape factor for rectangle, α or,

• Other sections shape factors:
– Universal beam: 1.15
– Solid circular section: 16/(3π)
– Thin hollow section: 4/π
– Channel section: 1.17
Effect of Axial Load on Plastic Moment
• If a section is subject to axial load, the
capacity to carry plastic moment is reduced
• The codes of practice will give guidance on
how much reduction should be effected for
safe design
 Design Criteria
• Elastic design
– The working stresses are not greater than specified
maximum values
– The maximum values are obtained by applying a safety
factor on the yield stress
fσw = σy
• Plastic design
– The collapse of a structure will occur when a set of loads
W cause sufficient hinges to form such that the structure
will become a mechanism, either in part or as a whole.
– The working load is then obtained by applying a load factor
to the collapse load
λWworking = Wcollapse
Load factor, λ = Wcollapse/Wworking
 Conditions for collapse of a framed
structure
1) The bending moments in the frame must be in equilibrium with
the applied loads. This is called the equilibrium condition i.e. right
up until the point of collapse, the structure carries the loads in a
condition of static equilibrium and therefore every part of the
structure must be in equilibrium
2) Sufficient plastic hinges must be formed to transform the
structure, or any part of it into a mechanism. This is called the
mechanism condition and describes the definition of collapse
which has been adopted. If the whole structure becomes a
mechanism, with the number of hinges equal to the NUMBER OF
REDUNDANCIES PLUS ONE the mechanism is describes as
COMPLETE. If only part of the structure becomes a mechanism
with the number of hinges less than the redundancies plus one,
the mechanism is described as partial
 Conditions for collapse of a framed
structure (continued)
3) The local fully plastic moments must never
be exceeded. This is called the YIELD
CONDITION and it describes the fact that has
been postulated that no member can carry a
moment greater than its fully plastic moment
of resistance since no stress greater than the
yield stress can arise anywhere in the cross-
section
 The General Structural Action
1) A perfectly structural member behaves elastically until a
plastic hinge is formed at one section
2) Additional load may be carried if rotation at this hinge
allow diffusion of the load to other stable parts of the
structure
3) As each plastic hinge is formed, the moment remains
constant at the fully plastic value irrespective of
deformation or additional load
4) Collapse occurs when there is no remaining stable
element able to carry additional load
5) At collapse, the structure as a whole, or in part forms a
simple mechanism
6) If location of plastic hinges can be predicted, we can
easilyfind the load which causes collapse by simple statics
i.e. application of the principal of virtual work
 Number of hinges required for
collapse
• If number of indeterminate moments = n,
then if we introduce n hinges, the structure
becomes statically determinate.
• Introduce one more hinge, structure will move
with one degree of freedom i.e. mechanism is
formed
• Therefore number of hinges required for a
mechanism = n + 1
 Theorems of Plastic Collapse
1. Lower Bound (Limit) Theorem
If any bending moment distribution can be
found which satisfies:
i. the equilibrium condition and
ii. the yield condition (i.e. bending moments no
where exceed Mp)
that system is safe and statically sufficient
and the corresponding load system is less
than or equal to the true collapse load of the
structure
 Theorems of Plastic Collapse
(continued)
2. Upper Bound (Limit) Theorem
For a given structure subjected to a given
loading, the magnitude of the loading which is
found to correspond to any assumed collapse
mechanism must either be equal to or greater
than but not less than the true collapse load.
For each collapse mechanism, compute the
collapse load and choose the lowest value as
true collapse load
 Rules for beam mechanism
1. A fixed beam will become a mechanism when three
plastic hinges form, usually one at each support and
another one where the load is applied (one span)

Continuous beams

2. Intermediate spans, three hinges are required, one at

end of each span and another at the load application
point
3. End span having simple supports, only two hinges are
required, one at first support and another at load
application point
 Total number of independent
mechanisms for a given structure
M=N–R
Where
– M is the number of independent mechanisms or
number of basic mechanisms
– N is the number of critical sections or number of
plastic hinges which would be necessary for every
basic mechanism to occur at the same time
– R is the number of redundancies or degree of
static indeterminacy