Inelastic Behavior of Structural Frameworks

The general problem of the strength of structural frames of materials displaying limited ductility and strain hardening is considered. A quite general method for determining the moment-curvature diagram for any material and most cross sections is described and used. A procedure for calculating the elastic and inelastic flexural deformations of a member subjected to linearly varying distributions of bending moment is presented. The solution of inelastic, statically indeterminate flexural systems, using successive linearizations is developed. Applications are made to structural systems of aluminum alloy flexural members, both with and without welds, demonstrating that in some cases the presence of welds can actually increase the ultimate strength of such a system.