Software Verification

PROGRAM NAME: REVISION NO.:

SAP2000 0

EXAMPLE 2-017
SHELL IN-PLANE BUCKLING EXAMPLE DESCRIPTION This example uses a cantilever column to test in-plane buckling of shell elements. The column is 100 inches tall, 12 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Only the Ux, Uz and Ry degrees of freedom are active in the model, thus preventing the column from buckling out-of-plane. A unit concentrated vertical downward load, P, is applied to the top of the column. The buckling load, Pcr, calculated by SAP2000 is compared with an independent hand calculated result. The column is meshed into 2x12 elements. The unit load P is split with one-quarter of the load applied to joints 37 and 39 and one-half of the load applied to joint 38. Joint 1 has a pinned support and joints 2 and 3 are on rollers. The rollers are used to avoid imposing a local Poissons effect that is not included in the hand calculated result. TECHNICAL FEATURES OF SAP2000 TESTED Buckling analysis of shells Joint force loads Active degrees of freedom
P/4 37 34 P/2 P/4

Material Properties E = 3600 k/in2 Section Properties Thickness = 1 in Active DOFs Ux, Uz, Ry Restraint at Joint 1 Joint 1: Ux, Uz Joint 2: Uz Joint 3: Uz

38 39 23 24 36

1 - Joint number 1 - Area object number Z Y X 4 1 3 1 2 12" 2 equal spaces 4 2 6 3

EXAMPLE 2-017 - 1

100" 12 equal spaces

Software Verification
PROGRAM NAME: REVISION NO.:

SAP2000 0

RESULTS COMPARISON The independent results for the buckling load, Pcr, are calculated using equation 2-4 on page 48 of Timoshenko and Gere 1961. Output Parameter Pcr kips Pcr kips Percent Difference -0.5% -0.5%

Shell Type Thin Thick

SAP2000 127.22 127.22

Independent 127.91 127.91

COMPUTER FILE: CONCLUSION

Example 2-017-thick, Example 2-017-thin

The SAP2000 results show an acceptable match with the independent results for both the thick plate and the thin plate option.

EXAMPLE 2-017 - 2

Software Verification
PROGRAM NAME: REVISION NO.:

SAP2000 0

HAND CALCULATION

EXAMPLE 2-017 - 3