Abstract
Large axial displacements of an initially straight, simply supported, column that is subjected to an axial compressive force at its movable support are determined, using several variants of axial strain-displacement relationships. Their accuracy and range of applicability are discussed by comparing corresponding results with those of exact elastica analysis, in which the compressibility effect of the bar axis is taken into account. From a variety of results, the following conclusion is drawn! a simplified linear kinematic relation leads to a sufficiently accurate evaluation of the initial part of the postbuckling path, which is of significant importance for structural design purposes.

This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit: