Parametric study on the computational behaviour of hollow beams designed using the Direct Design Method ― numerical factors

摘要

The aim of this paper is to report on some computational experiments conducted to study the effects of some of the numerical parameters on the predicted behaviour and the final failure load of hollow beams, using a 2D in-house finite element program. The beams were subjected to bending moment, torsion and shear force. They were designed using the Direct Design Method. The computational results were compared with the measured values. It was found that factors like mesh size and convergence tolerance have significant effects on beam behaviour and ultimate load while the non-linear solution algorithm has less effects.