Initial Curvature and Lateral Load Effects on Thin Struts With Large Elastic Displacements

Employing perturbation techniques, the problem of a thin strut experiencing large deflections which is treated in two previous papers by the authors, [1] and [2], is further examined for the effects of initial curvature and mid-span lateral load. Representative design tables and typical curves, embracing a selected range of realistic parameters for the complex cases, are included. Example problems are presented for demonstration and clarification.