Plastic Analysis

1
Design Methods - Elastic design (Working stress)
-Ultimate load design (Plastic design)
- Limit state method

In elastic method
Up to yield stress.
Working stress always kept below yield stress.
The design so produced gives a structure of
unknown ultimate strength.

2
In plastic method

In plastic analysis and design of a structure, the ultimate load

of the structure as a whole is regarded as the design criterion.
Since the ultimate load is determined from the strength of
steel in plastic range, so known as Plastic design.
Plastic design method gives an economical design.
Rapid and simple method.
It also provides economy as regards the weight of steel since
the sections required by this method are smaller in size than
those required by the method of elastic analysis.
Plastic analysis and design has its main application in the
analysis and design of statically indeterminate framed
structures.

3
In plastic method

Plastic analysis is based on the idealization of the stress-strain

curve as elastic-perfectly-plastic.

It is further assumed that the width-thickness ratio of plate

elements is small so that local buckling does not occur- in
other words the sections will classify as plastic.

4
 Ductility of steel
Base for plastic theory is this ductility
5
 Perfectly Plastic material

stress strain curve in tension and compression will

have same horizontal plane.

Properties
Obeys Hookes law
E same for Tension and Compression
Strain up to strain hardening is same for
compression and tension

6
 Assumptions made for evaluation of fully plastic
moment
The material obeys Hooke's law until the stress reaches the upper
yield value; on further straining the stress drops to the lower yield
value and thereafter remains constant.
The upper and lower yield stresses and the modulus of elasticity have
the same values of compression as in tension.
The material is homogeneous and isotropic in both the elastic and
plastic states.
Plane transverse sections remain plane and normal to the longitudinal
axis after bending, the effect of shear being neglected.
There is no resultant axial force on the beam.
The cross-section of beam is symmetrical about an axis through its
centroid parallel to the plane of bending.
Every layer of the material is free to expand and contract
longitudinally and laterally under stress as if separated from the other
layers. 7
Plastic Bending of Beams

8
 Consider a beam with one axis of symmetry. Beam is
subjected to pure bending by moments M at ends of beam.
The couples M are increased gradually.
If M is small, N.A. pass through CG of section
If M is increased, then bending stress in extreme fibre reaches
yield stress. The moment at which first yield has occurred is
Yield Moment. N axis still pass through CG
When M is increased the NA shift downwards.
Finally a stage will be reached where the yield stress is
maximum at top and bottom. This stage is Fully plastic stage
and the moment is Plastic moment. Mp. The axis known as
Equal axis.
So Plastic moment Mp is the ultimate moment which the
section can maintain under the assumption of ideal elastic
plastic stress strain law.
For symmetrical section about both axis Neutral axis will not
shift.
9
 Compressive force C= Tensile force T
A1.y = A2 y -- i.e A1= A2= A/2
Couple= Mp
A1.y.y1+ A2.y.y2 = Mp
Mp= A/2. (y1+y2) y

Mp= Zp. y ; Plastic Section modulus- Zp

10
 Ratio of Plastic moment to Yield moment is
Shape factor S
S= Mp/ My= Zp/Zy
Shape factor for
Rectangular Sections - 1.5
Diamond Section -2
Triangular section -2.34
Circular section -1.69
Rolled I section -1.2

11
12
Formation of a collapse mechanism in a fixed
beam

13
 Fixed beam subjected to a point load W at mid span
elastic bending moment at the ends is wl2/12and at mid-span is wl2/24,
The stress distribution across any cross section is linear
As W is increased gradually, the bending moment at every section
increases and the stresses also increase.
At a section close to the support where the bending moment is
maximum, the stresses in the extreme fibers reach the yield stress. As the
load continues to increase, whole of the cross section reaches the yield
stress. The cross section is not capable of resisting any additional moment
but may maintain this moment for some amount of rotation in which case
it acts like a plastic hinge.
If this is so, then for further loading, the beam, acts as if it is simply
supported with two additional moments Mp on either side, and continues
to carry additional loads until a third plastic hinge forms at mid-span
when the bending moment at that section reaches Mp. The beam is then
said to have developed a collapse mechanism and will collapse.

14
 If the section is thin walled, due to local buckling, it
may not be able to sustain the moment for additional
rotations and may collapse either before or soon after
attaining the plastic moment.
It may be noted that formation of a single plastic
hinge gives a collapse mechanism for a simply
supported beam.
ratio of the ultimate rotation to the yield rotation is
called the rotation capacity of the section.

yield and the plastic moments together with the

rotation capacity of the cross section are used to
classify the sections

15
 Plastic Hinge
When Mp is developed at a section , then the section is yielded or
plasticized. The curvature of the section becomes infinitely large
and section continues to rotate at constant moment. The fibres
carrying compressive stress tends to contract and those carrying
tension tends to expand. The section acts like a hinge, known as
plastic hinge.
Plastic hinge is defined as yielded zone due to bending in a
structural member at which infinite rotation can take place at
constant plastic moment Mp of the section.
Mechanical hinge Moment zero and represented by hollow circle
Plastic Hinge- Allows free rotation at Plastic moment and is
represented by a solid black dot.

No of plastic Hinges= Degree of static redundancy + 1

16
 Length of Plastic Hinge

Theoretically, the plastic hinges are assumed to form at points

at which plastic rotations occur. Thus the length of a plastic
hinge is considered as zero.

However, the values of moment, at the adjacent section of

the yield zone are more than the yield moment upto a certain
length L, of the structural member.
This length L, is known as the hinged length.
The hinged length depends upon the type of loading and the
geometry of the cross-section of the structural member.
The region of hinged length is known as region of yield or
plasticity.
17
18
 Hinged Length of a Simply Supported Beam with
Central Concentrated Load

the hinged length of the plasticity zone is equal to

one-third of the span

19
 Load Factor Q =
Collapse Load/ Working Load = Wc/Ww

Load factor Q=
Shape factor x Factor of safety in elastic design

20
 Fundamental conditions for plastic analysis
Mechanism condition: The ultimate or collapse
load is reached when a mechanism is formed.
The number of plastic hinges developed should
be just sufficient to form a mechanism.

Equilibrium condition : Fx = 0, Fy = 0, Mxy = 0

Plastic moment condition: The bending moment

at any section of the structure should not be
more than the fully plastic moment of the
section.
21
 BASIC THEOREMS OF PLASTIC ANALYSIS
Static theorem or lower bound theorem -states that for a given frame
and loading if there exists any distribution of bending moment throughout
the frame which is both safe and statically admissible, with a set of loads
W, the value of W must be less than or equal to the collapse load Wc .
Kinematic or Upper Bound Theorem- states that for a given frame
subjected to a set of loads W, the value of W which is found to correspond
to any assumed mechanism will always be greater than or equal to the
actual collapse load Wc.
Uniqueness Theorem or Combined Theorem
combines both static as well as kinematic theorems.
The Uniqueness Theorem states that if for a given frame and loading at
least one safe and statically admissible bending moment distribution can
be found and in this distribution, the bending moment is equal to the fully
plastic moment at sufficient cross-sections to cause failure of the frame as
a mechanism due to rotations of the plastic hinges at these sections, the
corresponding load would be the collapse load (i.e. W = Wc).
22
23
 Based on the above two theorems, there are two basic methods of plastic
analysis : (1) Static (or equilibrium) method (2) Kinematic (or mechanism)
method.

Static method-based on the static or lower bound theorem according to

which a load computed on the basis of an assumed equilibrium moment
diagram in which the moments not greater than MP, is less than or at best
equal to the true ultimate load.
The procedure for application of static theorem is as follows :
Convert the structure into statically determinate structure by removing the
redundant forces.
Draw free bending moment diagram for the structure.
Draw the bending moment diagram for the redundant forces.
Draw the composite bending moment diagram in such a way that mechanism
is obtained.
Find out the value of collapse load by solving equilibrium equations.
Check the moments to ensure that M < MP . If it is so, correct value of collapse
load is obtained.

The method is suitable only for simple structures. For complicated frames,
the method becomes very difficult and, therefore, kinematic method is
preferred.

24
 Kinematic or Mechanism method- based on the
kinematic or upper bound theorem according to which
a load computed on the basis of an assumed
mechanism will always be greater than or at best equal
to the true ultimate load. For the application of this
method, it is very essential to know the possible types
and number of mechanisms.

The procedure of application of the kinematic theorem is

as follows:
Determine the location of possible plastic hinges.
Select possible independent and composite mechanisms.
Solve equilibrium equation by virtual displacements
method for
Check that M < MP

25
 Collapse mechanisms
When a system of loads is applied to an elastic
body, it will deform and will show a resistance
against deformation. Such a body is known as
a structure.
On the other hand if no resistance is set up
against deformation in the body, then it is
known as a mechanism.

26
There are four types of independent mechanisms:
beam mechanism, panel mechanism, gable mechanism, joint
mechanism.

27
28
29