Elastic-plastic beam-on-foundation under quasi-static loading (Q1582774)

The authors study the mechanical behaviour of an elastic-plastic beam-on-foundation system by using an elastic-plastic discrete spring model. To this end, they formulate an analytical solution procedure under arbitrary quasi-static loading. Detailed numerical simulations are given in the case of a concentrated force at the mid-span, and various plastic collapse mechanisms are identified. The authors also study the migration of plastic hinges and the propagation of plastic zones in the foundation. It is shown that an elastic-perfectly plastic system is characterized by three nondimensional parameters, but the limit state of a rigid-perfectly plastic structure can be characterized only by one non-dimensional parameter.