A NEW ELEMENT FOR GEOMETRIC NONLINEAR ANALYSIS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL STEEL FRAMES

This paper presents a new element for geometric nonlinear analysis of three-dimensional steel frames. The P-δeffect is fully taken into consideration in this new pointwise equilibrating polynomial element so that it is able to model each member with one element. The implementation of the element in a nonlinear analysis program is straightforward, and it does not lead to a significant numercial truncating error in the analysis. The numerical studies demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the new element.