Critical buckling load analysis of circular arches under asymmetric loading

The buckling instability is one of the possible structural failures. The possibility of buckling is associated with the combination of compression and bending effects, so structures that work fundamentally to compression can be affected, such as columns and arches. Thus, in this work the critical buckling loads in two-hinged circular arches subjected to the action of concentrated force in the radial direction are investigated. The position of the force is considered as variable along the structure, and four points of force's application in the arch are analyzed. The force method and resolution of the differential equation of elastic line for curved bars are applied in the instability analysis and determination of critical buckling loads. An alternative process is adapted for analysis, developed from the application of the Weighted Residues Method and Galerkin Method. In addition, numerical simulation is performed in a Finite Element Method computer program to compare the results. According to the analysis of the obtained results, it is verified that the formulations proposed are feasible and there was a satisfactory approximation in relation to the numerical simulation achieved for a considerable portion of the studied arches.