Effects of prebuckling deformations on the elastic flexural-torsional buckling of laterally fixed arches

The effect of the prebuckling in-plane deformations on the elastic flexural-torsional buckling of laterally fixed circular arches is studied in this paper. The finite strains and the energy equation for the flexural-torsional buckling of arches have been derived based on an accurate orthogonal rotation matrix. A closed form solution for the elastic flexural-torsional buckling resistance of laterally fixed arches in uniform bending, including the effects of the prebuckling deformations, is obtained. It is found that the notion that the prebuckling deformations increase the flexural-torsional buckling moment of an arch or of a beam is not necessarily correct for a laterally fixed arch or beam in uniform bending, in deference to a laterally pinned arch. When a laterally fixed arch is subjected to positive uniform bending, the effects of the prebuckling deformations decrease the buckling moment, and the reduction of the buckling moment increases with an increase of the included angle and of the out-of-plane slenderness ratio of the arch. When a laterally fixed arch is subjected to negative uniform bending, the effects of the prebuckling deformations decrease the absolute value of its buckling moment when the included angle is very small, but increase the absolute value of the buckling moment when the included angle exceeds a certain value. The increase in the absolute value of the buckling moment increases with an increase of the included angle and of the out-of-plane slenderness ratio of the arch. When the ratio of the out-of-plane to the in-plane second moments of area of the cross-section is not small, both the reduction of the buckling moment of a laterally fixed arch in positive uniform bending and the increase of the buckling moment of a laterally fixed arch in negative uniform bending, are substantial.