Local Buckling and Fracture initiation in Steel Members During Earthquakes

Benjamin V. Fell and Amit M. Kanvinde
University of California, Davis, USA

Fatigue (failure from repetitive cyclic loading) caused by earthquakes involves very few but extremely large repetitions of loading. The verified failure mechanism during this type of loading is due to the growth and shrinkage of microscopic cavities in the steel material. In certain types of steel structures, fatigue is accelerated due to the amplification of plastic strain due to local buckling. This research is noteworthy because it has not only led to a new understanding of the processes responsible for this type of behavior, but also has resulted in validated models for simulating this type of response.

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