Out of plane stability of circular arches

An elastic buckling theory is developed for thin-walled arches. Using the principle of minimum total potential energy derives the governing differential equations. An explicit and clear approximation of the curvature effect is made in the derivation process. Closed form solutions are obtained for arches subjected to equal and opposite end moments (uniform bending) and to uniformly distributed radial loads (uniform compression). Also, closed form solutions for the torsional buckling moment of braced arches in uniform bending and for the torsional buckling load of braced arches in uniform compression are obtained. The solutions are compared with previous theoretical results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]