Buckling Analysis of Cellular Beams using the Element-Free Galerkin Method with the Rotational Spring Analogy

The development of local buckling in the web-post and the compressive regions around the openings of cellular beams is often a critical design consideration. The current buckling assessment of such scenario is still based on simplified models, which are calibrated against detailed finite element models only for specific geometries including layout and range of dimensions, Moreover, the direct use of finite element analysis for the design of cellular beams remains computationally expensive. The main objective of this work is to extend the use of the Element-Free Galerkin (EFG) method combined with the Rotational Spring Analogy (RSA) for efficient buckling analysis of cellular beams, with emphasis on local buckling effects. The EFG is used for the planar response and the out-of-plane material stiffness, whereas the RSA is used for the out-of-plane geometric stiffness. A probing approach is then adopted for efficient buckling analysis, which is demonstrated through an application example.