Abstract

The paper describes the extension of the critical
displacement method (CDM), presented by Oñate and Matias in 1996,
to the instability analysis of structures with non-linear material
behaviour using a simple damage model. The extended CDM is useful
to detect instability points using a prediction of the critical
displacement field and a secant load-displacement relationship
accounting for material non-linearities. Examples of application
of CDM to the instability analysis of structures using bar and
solid finite elements are presented.