Fiber element formulation for inelastic frame analysis

The paper discusses two formulations for the fiber based distributed plasticity beam/column element. For force based and displacement based formulations, basic details and main differences are emphasized. The differences in results of analysis when elements with these two formulations are used are demonstrated on two numerical examples. The first example involves the nonlinear static pushover analysis of low-rise frame with distributed element loading. The second example is nonlinear time history analysis of two-story frame subjected to earthquake loading. The differences in global and local response depending on the used finite element discretization are shown. In conclusion, the advantages of force based formulation and directions for the use of the two elements are summarized.