A comparison of approximate methods for solving non-conservative problems of elastic stability

Abstract

The methods of Ritz, Galerkin, and complementary energy are applied to a nonconservative problem in the theory of elastic stability. The numerical calculations are based upon (i) a variational expression, for which no functional can be determined, and (ii) an adjoint variational principle, for which a functional is established in terms of the variables of the original non-self-adjoint eigenvalue problem and the adjoint problem. The adjoint variational principle yields somewhat more accurate values for the critical load parameter than does the variational expression. In addition, the results obtained by means of the complementary energy method are more precise than the corresponding results obtained from the Ritz and Galerkin methods. © 1972.