Advanced Structural Analysis/Part I - Theory/Failure Modes/Plastic Failure/Limit Analysis

Introduction /Lower Bound/ /Upper Bound/ Introduction Plastic failure modes, even of simple structures, are usually difficult to analyze in a precise quantitative manner. Sophisticated FEM algorithms and significant CPU-times are often necessary in order to produce realistic results. Limit analysis offers a different, simplistic approach. It is based on a few assumptions and enables the analyst to achieve intrinsic lower and upper bound assessments of the catastrophic loads.