A Method for Comparison of Large Deflection in Beams

Abstract The deflection analysis of beams has been recently an active area of research. The large deflection of beams refers to deflections occurring due to large displacements and small strains. This type of deflection has been one of the areas of interest in the development of beam deformation methods. The wide diversity of beam deformation methods highlights the importance of their comparison to further elucidate the properties and features of each method and determine their benefits and limitations. In this study, a new comparison model is introduced which involves three steps, instead of only comparing final results for verification in common studies. In the first step, a complete comparison is made based on the assumptions and approximations of each method of the kinematics of deformation, displacement, and strain fields. After selecting the most accurate method in the first step, the displacement functions are determined by polynomial approximation under different loading and support conditions based on the selected method. In the third step, the displacement functions are used to calculate the strains in each method. The conclusion is based on comparing the strains. This comparative model can be used as a benchmark to compare different theories of deformation analysis.