Limit Design by Successive Moment Distribution

The limit design method presented has the novel feature of combining the techniques of the plastic design theory; determining the moment capacities and the relative moments of inertia of the critical sections required in the elastic design, with the conventional elastic design procedures; determining the required ductilities of these critical sections. The concept of the modified elastic structure is introduced tor incremental loading stages where hinges of zero moment are assumed at the yield hinges located by the previous phase of the successive elastic moment distributions. Structures having sections with ideal elastic-plastic behavior, or where this behavior is a conservative assumption of the actual structural behavior, can be designed by the method presented.