BEAM STIFFNESS MATRIX BASED ON THE ELASTICITY EQUATIONS

A new general beam stiffness matrix which accounts for bending, torsion and shear deformation is derived from an elasticity solution of the beam. The influence of shear and torsion is considered using a 3×3 matrix of deformation coefficients. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the behaviour of the deformation coefficients and of the beam stiffness matrix. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.