Post-buckling analysis of slender elastic rods subjected to terminal forces

This paper presents formulation and solutions for the elastica of slender rods subjected to axial terminal forces and boundary conditions assumed hinged and elastically restrained with a rotational spring. The set of five first-order non-linear ordinary differential equations with boundary conditions specified at both ends constitutes a complex two-point boundary value problem. Solutions for buckling, initial post-buckling (perturbation), large loads (asymptotic) and numerical integration are developed. Results are presented in non-dimensional graphs for a range of rotational spring stiffness, tuning the analysis from double-hinged to hinged-built-in rods.