The resulting equivalent stress (HMH, von Mises) and plastic strain are calculated on plates. When the design yield strength, f (GB 50017, Table 4.4.1–4.4.3), on the bilinear material diagram is reached, the check of the equivalent plastic strain is performed. The limit value of 5 % is suggested in Eurocode (EN 1993-1-5 App. C, Par. C8, Note 1). This value can be modified in the Code setup, but verification studies were made for this recommended value.
The plate element is divided into five layers, and elastic/plastic behavior is investigated in each of them. The program shows the worst result of all of them.
Stress may be a little bit higher than the design yield strength. The reason is the slight inclination of the plastic branch of the stress-strain diagram, which is used in the analysis to improve the stability of the calculation.
