Plastic Analysis and Design of Beams

The current AISC specifications for structural steel buildings, both ASD and LRFD, allow the
plastic design of braced frame members (including beams) meeting the compact section criteria.
The mill specified yield stress, Fy, shall not exceed 65 ksi. However, the current AASHTO
specifications, both ASD and LRFD, do not allow the plastic design of highway bridge
structures. Article 48.1.3 (Part D, Load Factor Design) of AASHTO Standard Specifications for
Highway Bridges, 17th ed., allows redistribution of the negative moments (partial recognition of
plastic behavior in redundant beams) caused by the gravity load in some flexural members
meeting the requirements of compact section criteria.

In the classical elastic design method, the maximum load a member could support was assumed
to be equal to the load that would cause the most highly stressed fiber (a single point in a
structure) to reach Fy. However, statically indeterminate structures made of a ductile material
(steel) have the capability to redistribute internal force distributions by local yielding upon being
overloaded before reaching a collapse mechanism.

Consider a propped beam of length L subjected to a concentrated load P at the mid-span.

/ 2 Pu
/ 2 f  Fy Fy Fy Fy
5 P
1 M y  Fy S M p  Fy Z
3P1
32
P2  Z  S  Mp  My
 S: elastic section modulus
16 4
Z: plastic section modulus
: natural hinge 3P 
P2
P Collapse mechanism •: plastic hinge
M p  1 Pu  P1  P2
16
9 P1
service load Pu  5P1 P2  3P1 P
8    P2  1
P1 P 32 4 16 8
Ps  u  0.66 P1
1.7 7 P13 P2 3
1 2  1 
768 EI
2 
48 EI

1
Plastic Design

 Ease of structural analyses as the prerequisite of the design.

 Results in a consistent margin of safety for all structures, independent of the degrees of
static indeterminacy.

 Results in a considerable cost savings for bending type indeterminate structures.

 Of determinate beams yields the same design as by ASD.

 Of tension and compression members yields no better design.

 Is not suitable for situations where fatigue stresses are a problem.

 Must have a ductile material to employee plastic design.

 Requires compact section criteria along with excessive bracing of compression flanges.

 Plastic hinge is assumed to be confined at a point along the beam length.

Collapse Mechanism

Statically determinate beams fail upon the development of one plastic hinge. For indeterminate
structures, as the load increases the most highly stressed section yields locally and forms a plastic
hinge. This plastic hinge will act as a real hinge insofar as increased loading is concerned.
Additional loading causes additional plastic hinge formations. When the number and
arrangement of real and plastic hinges results in an unstable structure (collapse mechanism), then
collapse occurs.

Plastic Analysis

 Equilibrium Method
 Energy Method (Virtual Work Method)

2
Equilibrium Method

Pu   4M P
 M cl  0     M P  Pu 
2 2 

Pu / 2

 
 / 2
Pu / 2 Pu / 2 Mp
Virtual Work Method

 F & M : equilibrium set

 F   M P 
L
 &  : compatible displacement set

Ext V .W .  Int V .W .
   
Pu   M P  2   M P  2  
   / 2 
4M P P
Pu    M P  req ' d  u
 4

Pu P M Mp
/ 2 Pu
 2
   /   / 2

 2 

3
  Kinematically Admissible Solution - A solution whereby the structure has reached to
deform without additional loading (collapse mechanism).

 Statically Admissible Solution - A solution whereby the strength of the structure is not
exceeded at any section ( M  M P at all sections).

 Upper Bound Solution - The load computed on basis of an assumed kinematically

admissible solution will always be larger than, or equal to, the true solution.

 Lower Bound Solution - The load computed on basis of an assumed statically admissible
solution will always be smaller than, or equal to, the true solution.

Example Problem
wu
Determine wu for the propped beam.
From the shear diagram,
w M
wu x  u  P  x   P
 M
2

2  2 wu  w1
1   M  w  M 
Mp 
MP    P  u  P  8
2  2 wu    2  
1w  M 
M  w2 
2 2
  u  M P  P2 
2 4 wu  

wu2 2 M2 12 wu M P 4M P2
2 wu M P 
4
 wu M P  2P
 Mp 
wu  6 M P / 2   36M P2 / 4  4 M P2 / 4 
1/2 wu2 
? 
2
 4 0


wu 
11.657 M P wu  M p wu  M p
2 V  
2  2 
 MP  L  MP
 0.414
x 
2 wu  2 11.657 M P 
2
x
wu
Mp
4
Applying upper bound and lower bound theorems to determine wu .

Assume a kinematically admissible

solution (which may violate a statically
/ 2
admissible condition).
 w  M    w    
 M cl  0   u  P     u    M P
  
 2   2  2  4  1st hinge 2nd hinge assumed at CL
wu
wu 2 M P wu 2
4

2

8
 MP  0 Mp / 2 wu  M p

wu 2 3M P 2 
25
8

2 Mp 24
Mp
12 M P (upper bound solution)
wu 
2 Mp 5
12

Note: M P is exceeded. Hence, not

a statically admissible solution.

Assume a statically admissible solution (which may

violate a kinematically admissible condition.
Assume a moment at the mid-span smaller than M P ,
0.9M p 0.9446 M p

say, 0.9 M P .
 w  M    w    
 M cl  0   u  P     u    0.9 M P
Mp  / 2 0.41
 2   2  2  4 
wu 2 Note: No plastic hinge between
 1.4 M P
8
11.2 M P (lower bound solution) supports. Therefore, no collapse
wu 
2
is reached. Hence, not a
11.2 M P 12 M P
 2
 wu  kinematically admissible solution.
L L2

5
Consider a both-end fixed beam of W1640 of length 30 feet. A concentrated load P is applied
at point B, 10 feet from the left support. Determine the load-deflection curve for loading up to
the collapse condition. Assume Fy = 36 ksi.

At ultimate, from the equilibrium requirement,

Pu  10   20 
MP   MP
30

Pu  2 M P  3 / 20   0.3M P

k-ft
M P  Fy Z  36  72.9 /12  218.7

kips
Pu  0.3   218.7   65.61

Stage 1. From the elastic bending moment diagram, the first plastic hinge will form at A.
40 P1
 M P  218.7, P1  9  218.7  / 40  49.21 kips
9

P  10   20  49.21 8, 000   1, 728 

3 3

1    0.559 in.
3  30  EI
3
3  27   29, 000   518 

Stage 2. With P1 = 49.21 kips applied one can consider that part of the available moment
capacity at points B and C has been used up. The available remaining moment capacity is
ft-kips
M B  M P  80  49.21 / 27  218.7  145.8  72.9

ft-kips
M C  M P  20  49.21 / 9  218.7  109.4  109.3

140 P2
 72.9, P2  27  72.9  /140  14.06 kips
27

Pa 2b3  3L  a  14.06  10   20   90  10   1, 728 

2 3

2    0.399 in.
12  30   29, 000   518 
3
12 L3 EI

Stage 3. With a total of P1 + P2 = 63.27 kips applied, the remaining moment capacity available
at C is
ft-kips
M C  M P  109.4 (Stage 1)  40 /  14.06  / 9 (Stage 2)=46.81

20 P3  46.81, P3  2.34 kips

6
 Pu  P1  P2  P3  49.21  14.06  2.34  65.61 kips  checks
Note: There is no advantage in plastic design for statically determinate structures. Consider the
propped cantilever beam examined before. If an ASD were adopted, the service load would have
been (assuming a load factor of 1.7 > 5/3=1.67, a common factor of safety in ASD, hence,
conservative!)

Service Load
ASD Plastic Design
Determinate Beam Ps  P1 Pu  P1
Propped Beam Ps  P1 Pu  1.125 P1
Both-end Fixed Beam Ps  P1 Pu  1.33P1

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8
Yield Line Theory of Slabs

Although not included in the current ACI Code, slab analysis by yield line theory may be useful
in providing the needed information for understanding the behavior of irregular or single-panel
slabs with various boundary conditions. Yield lines in slabs are similar in concept to plastic
hinges in 1D beams and or frames. Typical yield line patterns are shown in the figure. For a
concentrated load at a significant distance from a support edge, the yield line pattern will be
circular as shown in (d). The circle pattern will be a yield line of negative bending moment,
while the radial yield lines are due to positive bending moment. For concentrated loads near a
free edge, a fan or partial circular pattern is typical. Each segment in a yield pattern rotates with
respect to its yield line due to negative bending moment creating tensile strains at the top fiber of
the slab and as a result tensile strains develop at the bottom fiber along the yield lines due to
positive bending moment.

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Fundamental Assumptions

1. The steel reinforcement is fully yielded along the yield lines at failure. Hence, a typical
idealized M-  relationship can be assumed to be linearly elastic and perfectly plastic.

2. The slab deforms plastically at failure and is separated into segments by the yield lines.

3. The bending and twisting moments are uniformly distributed along the yield line and they
are the maximum values provided by the moment strengths in two orthogonal directions
(for two way slabs).

4. The elastic deformations are negligibly small compared with the plastic deformations;
thus the slab parts rotate as plane segments in a collapse mechanism.

The bending moment strength M nb and twisting moment strength M nt along the yield line may
be expressed in terms of and . Taking equilibrium of moment vectors parallel to the
M nx M ny

yield line,

10
Home Work #1

An equilateral triangle ABC is to be installed at a corner of a tunnel complex at a municipal

wastewater treatment plant to facilitate a passage of a utility vehicle. The equivalent uniformly
distributed load intensity of the vehicle may be assumed to be 300 psf. Both fixed edges, AB
and AC, are 15 ft long and the free edge BC is computed to be 15 2 (21.21) ft. Assume an
identical reinforcement is placed in both x and y directions so that and are the same.
M nx M ny

Assuming a load factor of 1.7 for both the live load (without an impact allowance) and the dead
load of the concrete slab, determine the ultimate bending moment capacity required for the slab.
15’
A C

15’

11