EME 4353 Advanced Engineering Materials

Lecture 6 :
Elementary Plasticity

PowerPoint® Slides
by Dr Lai MK
 Learning Objectives

1. To be able to describe plastic bending and shape factor

in symmetrical beams
2. To be able to calculate collapse load in beams
3. To be able to describe plastic collapse theorem

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 Introduction

• In design of component, allowable working stresses under normal

service conditions do not exceed yield stress of the material
(tension/compression)
 Elastic theory
• Even if working stress exceeds maximum allowable stress,
component may still not failed
 provided that some portion of the component remains elastic and
capable of carrying load
• Plastic analysis is the method through which the actual failure load
of a structure is calculated
 significantly greater than the elastic load capacity

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 Assumptions for plastic analysis

• Ignores the presence of upper and lower yields ( only

single yield)
• Yield stress in tension and compression to be equal
• Yielding takes place at constant strain (ignore strain
hardening effect)
• In bending, strain is proportional to distance from the
neutral axis

Assumed stress-strain curve for plastic

theory with no strain-hardening, equal
yield points, yt = yc = y

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 Plastic bending of rectangular-sectioned
beams

When fully elastic (Figure a),

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 Partially plastic (Figure b),

Fully plastic moment (Figure c),

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 Shape factor (symmetrical)

• Shape factor is defined as the ratio of the moments

required to produce fully plastic and maximum elastic

• For the rectangular section,

 rectangular-sectioned beams can carry 50% additional moment

to that which is required to produce initial yielding at the edge of
the beam section before a fully plastic hinge is formed

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 Example

The flange and web of the T-bar section are 12 mm thick,

the flange width is 100 mm and the overall depth of the
section is 100 mm. The centroid of the section is at a
distance of 70.6 mm from the bottom of the web and
second moment of inertia Iz of the section about a line
through the centroid and parallel to the flange is 2.03 x 106
mm4. Determine the value of the shape factor.

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 Deflection of partially plastic beams

• Consider a simply supported beam of rectangular cross-

section (max bending of WL/4 at center)

• If loading increased until yielding occurs,

Beam develops a
clearly-defined kink
called plastic hinge
 gradually penetrate from the outside fibres towards
the N.A
• With further increase in loads, the B.M. at points away
from the centre will also increase until initial yielding

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 Variation of moment of resistance of beams

Variation of moment of resistance of beams of various cross-section

with depth of plastic penetration and associated radius of curvature. At
large curvature ratios (high plastic penetrations) the values of M/ME
approach the shape factor of the sections indicated

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 Plastic Design Limits

• When fully plasticity is achieved at central section with

load WP, at distance x from the supports there will be
some other positions, on either side of the centre, where
yielding has just commenced at the outer fibres

At any general section distance x’ from

the supports:
Yielded area in beam
x’ = L/2 when d = 0 (fully plastic) carrying central point
x' = L/3 when d = D (section) load

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 • If there are a number of points of “local” maximum B.M. (i.e. peaks
in B.M. diagram), first plastic hinge will form at numerical maximum.
Next hinge will occur at next highest value:
1) Simply supported beam
 One plastic hinge  one point of max B.M.
2) Propped cantilever (cantilever carrying opposing loads)
 Two plastic hinges (2 points of max B.M.)
3) Built-in beam
 3 positions of local max B.M., thus 3 plastic hinges

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 Example

The beam is made of I-section mild steel having a shape

factor of 1.15 and yield stress of 240 MPa. Using a load
factor against collapse of 2, find the required section
modulus.
100 kN 30 kN

2m 2m 1m

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 General Collapse Condition

3 necessary conditions when the structure is just on the

point of collapse:
1) Equilibrium Condition
• System of bending moments must be in equilibrium
with the external loads
2) Yield Condition
• Bending moments may not exceed plastic moment
values of member
3) Mechanism Condition
• Must be sufficient plastic hinges to form a
mechanism

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 Plastic Collapse Theorem

a) Lower Bound or Lower Limit Theorem

 If a bending moment diagram is found which satisfies the
conditions of equilibrium and yield (but not necessarily that of
mechanism), then the corresponding load factor is either less
than or equal to the true load factor at collapse (bending
moment, M ≤ MP)
b) Upper Bound or Upper Limit Theorem
 If a bending moment diagram is found which satisfies the
conditions of equilibrium and mechanism (but not necessarily
yield), then the corresponding load factor is either greater than
or equal to the true load factor at collapse. ( M ≥ MP)

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 c) Uniqueness Theorem:
If a bending moment distribution can be found which
satisfies the three conditions of equilibrium, mechanism,
and yield, then the corresponding load factor is the true

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 Collaries of the Theorems

1) If the collapse loads are determined for all possible

mechanisms, then the actual collapse load will be the
lowest of these (Upper bound Theorem)
2) The collapse load of a structure cannot be decreased
by increasing the strength of any part of it (Lower bound
Theorem)
3) The collapse load of a structure cannot be increased by
decreasing the strength of any part of it (Upper bound
Theorem)
4) The collapse load is independent of initial stresses and
the order in which the plastic hinges form (Uniqueness
Theorem)
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