Question:
A rigid member should only be able to absorb tensile forces or compressive forces. What are the options for considering these nonlinearities in the calculation?
Answer:
There are two options for defining the failure:
1.
Assigning Member Nonlinearity
For the "Beam" and "Rigid" member types, you can define one member nonlinearity for each member. You can find the corresponding option in the "Settings" tab (see Image 01).
2.
Assigning Nonlinear Member Hinges
As an alternative, you can define a member hinge with the failure criterion for the member. For the desired degree of freedom, you can assign the hinge condition with nonlinearity accordingly (see Image 02).