Reliability of an hp algorithm for buckling analysis
Manil Suri and Christos Xenophontos
suri@math.umbc.edu, christos@clarkson.edu
We describe a linearized buckling model that leads to the critical load
factor being formulated as the solution of an eigenvalue problem.
We show that the underlying mathematical formulation of the model can
result in the finite element approximations being polluted by spurious
eigenvalues. We explain why this danger is only present for domains
which are `thick' in all directions. However, for domains that are thin
in one dimension (the typical domains for which buckling problems are of
interest), the calculation of the critical eigenvalues is reliable. We
illustrate this by a numerical example.
