On some problems of buckling of prismatical beams under the influence of axial and transverse loads (Q799150)

In one of his recent papers [On a simple variational analysis of small finite deformations of prismatical beams, ibid. 34, 642-648 (1983)], the author derived a system of one-dimensional equations for small finite deformations of prismatical beams, including the effects of stretching, bending, twisting and warping stiffness, by a variational procedure. In the present paper these equations are applied to investigate the influence of transverse shear deformability, pre-buckling deformation, warping stiffness, non-coincidence of centroid and shear center, and finally, a certain higher-order pre-buckling stress moment, on the buckling of cantilever beams. The loads (axial force, bending moment, transverse end force) act at the centroid of the cross section of the beam. The cross section is singly symmetric. The stability analysis is limited to the stress and strains in the pre-buckling state not involving torsional displacements and displacements perpendicular to the spanwise symmetric plane of the beam. During cantilever buckling, due to axial end force, following effects are to be treated: - the effect of transverse shear deformability for beams with coincident centroid and shear center location, - the effect of shear center location and warping constraint. During cantilever buckling, due to end bending moment, following effects are to be investigated: - the effect of transverse shear deformability, - the influence of pre-buckling deformation, - the effects of end section constraint and shear center location. During the lateral buckling, due to transverse end force, the effect of transverse shear deformability, and the effect of endsection constraint, shear center location, and the high-order pre-buckling moment, are treated. The results are compared with previous ones which have been obtained based on the classical Kirchoff-equations and certain one-dimensional generalizations of the Kirchoff-equations.