LAUSR

Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of a relationship between a structures susceptibility to second-order effects and its natural period of vibration (T) given that both these properties are fundamentally dependent on the structure stiffness and mass properties. The main advantage of the use of this characteristic is that T can be obtained easily by the existing structural analysis software. In this study, different formulations are developed in order to propose an amplification factor (χT) to multiply first-order analysis results and satisfactorily obtain results of a second-order analysis. These formulations are based on D’Alembert’s principle, Rayleighs method, and the use of generalized coordinates to represent the dynamic displacement of flexible structures. It is observed that χT provides values closer to and in fact, more conservatively than, those obtained by the conventional simplified methods currently used by structural design engineers. Thus, the amplification factor χT, which is ba...