Localization of plastic buckling patterns and its effect on the ductility of structures under cyclic loading

In case of structures under compressive loading, it is often observed experimentally that the ductility of structures is considerably lost due to the localization of plastic buckling patterns. This implies that the phenomena of this kind has an unfavorable effect on the earthquake resistance. Herein, we present a versatile theoretical method to analyze the localization of buckling patterns including that under cyclic loading. As numerical examples, two types of structures, i.e. a multiply supported column and a truss tower under compressive force, are analyzed in order to show the validity of the proposed method. In these examples the cyclic localization phenomena is also discussed in terms of the influence on deformation capacity.