Stability of trusses under dynamic loads

Abstract The stability behavior and the large deformation response of two well-known truss configurations subjected to dynamic loads are studied. The method of analysis is based on an Eulerian formulation accounting for arbitrarily large displacements. Three types of dynamic forcing functions, namely, step loads of infinite duration, triangular loads of finite duration, and sinusoidal loads are considered. Load-deformation curves for these load cases are presented, and the influences of the triangular impulse duration and the period of the sinusoidal load on the critical load magnitudes of the structures are examined.