Abstract

This paper describes a procedure based on the concept of Equivalent Distributed Loads (EDL) applied to the Finite Elements Method (FEM) based on displacements and exact nodal solution of columns subject to shear deformation in accordance with the Timoshenko beam theory. The results obtained using this “EDL-FEM” methodology, in the cases studied, show that a high level of exactness in displacements, rotations as well as shear force and bending moment is obtained with a very small number of elements (one or two in the examples developed). Other methodologies based on displacements, such as reduced integration, require on the order of 40 elements to achieve similar results. The stability functions and buckling load for the Timoshenko beam are also determined in a direct and systematic way from the FEM with exact nodal solution.