Coupling between local and overall buckling using beam elements

A correct modelling of thin-walled members behaviour requires a due account for global lateral buckling, but also for local buckling of the profile walls. In this perspective, a special beam element is developed. The displacement field of this element allows to model any in plane global behaviour (tension, compression, in plane bending, in plane column buckling…) as well as the local buckling of the profile walls. The element is developed for bifurcation analysis (computation of critical loads) as well as for non linear analysis, including coupling between global and local phenomena.