Development and Validation of a von Mises Planar Truss Model for Studying Structural Nonlinearities

The paper focuses on developing a simple symmetric planar truss structure that could be effectively used to understand and study nonlinearities in large structures. A simple two-member truss model was defined and used for the study. A simple analytical model was derived using the theories of first and second order, which were then solved using the numerical formulations. To validate the model, an experimental setup was created and mounted on a tensile testing machine to apply required loads on the system. The results obtained from the test are used to validate the numerical model. Different parametric studies were conducted using the validated model to further understand the effects of the different variables on the model’s behaviour.