Comparison between exact and approximate methods for geometrically nonlinear analysis prescribed in design standards for steel and reinforced concrete structures

Current practices in structural engineering demand ever-increasing knowledge and expertise concerning stability of structures from professionals in this field. This paper implements standardized procedures for geometrically nonlinear analysis of steel and reinforced concrete structures, with the objective of comparing methodologies with one another and with a geometrically exact finite element analysis performed with Ansys 14.0. The following methods are presented in this research: Load Amplification Method, from NBR 8800:2008; the γ z coefficient method, from NBR 6118:2014; the P-Delta iterative method and the α c r coefficient method, prescribed in EN 1993-1-1:2005. A bibliographic review focused on standardized approximate methods and models for consideration of material and geometric nonlinearities is presented. Numerical examples are included, from which information is gathered to ensure a valid comparison between methodologies. In summary, the presented methods show a good correlation of results when applied within their respective recommended applicability limits, of which, Eurocode 3 seems to present the major applicability range. The treated approximate methods show to be more suitable for regular framed structures subjected to regular load distributions.

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