How close to a true moment release can you make the plastic hinge at one end of an OpenSees beamWithHinges element? It's a question I've thought about before, and it came up again recently. A simple fixed-fixed beam can start to answer the question. Imposing a unit rotation at one end will produce moment reactions … Continue reading Release the Plastic Hinge
Tag: Plastic hinge
When a Deal Breaker Is Not a Deal Breaker
We often place too much emphasis on obtaining mathematically exact solutions for structural models. While it's important to obtain exact solutions, e.g., for element development and comparing softwares, it's not always necessary and definitely not always a deal breaker. The important thing is to know whether or not an exact solution is possible and the … Continue reading When a Deal Breaker Is Not a Deal Breaker