Nonlinear Buckling Analysis
Nonlinear analysis is performed by the dynamic relaxation (DR) solver. Note that for some structures buckling is not a sudden phenomenon and can be preceded by a gradual reduction in stiffness as forces increase. The DR solver recalculates element forces and overall model stiffness based on the deformed geometry, therefore P-deltaeffects and the reduction in stiffness associated with the onset of buckling is considered automatically for all DR analyses. In addition, the stiffness of individual beam elements is reduced when they are in compression.