Keywords: computational structural stability, consistently linearised eigenproblem, finite element method, torispherical pressure vessel head, reinforced concrete hyperbolic cooling tower, multi-lamellae compression flange of welded I-beams, creep buckling, shallow wooden hypar shell, imperfection insensitivity, sensitivity analysis, percentage bending energy of total strain energy, spherical geometry.

The purpose of this chapter is to show that computational structural stability analysis by the finite element method is a lively research area involving high-quality fundamental, as well as applied, research. The vehicle for this demonstration is a review of the main scientific activities in this area at the Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures at Vienna University of Technology covering a period of approximately thirty five years. The first section of this period was devoted to the solution of challenging problems involving the loss of stability of structures. The focus of the second section was on sensitivity analysis of the (initial) post-buckling behaviour of structures. An important topic of the on-going third section is the influence bending has on the quality of the conversions of the originally imperfection-sensitive into imperfection-insensitive structures by means of minor changes to the original design.

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