Análise da estabilidade de colunas com variação da seção transversal e/ou módulo de elasticidade via Método das Diferenças Finitas

The sizing of columns necessarily requires a buckling stability analysis. This is a serious phenomenon in slender structures that needs to be avoided, since the structure can collapse without previous warning. Structural components such as columns with varying cross sections and material changes along their length are common in buildings and bridges. Moreover, obtaining the critical column loads with this configuration is not contemplated in the Euler critical load expression. Therefore, it is important to develop a numerical tool for column analysis with cross section variation and elasticity modulus submitted to axial compression. In this sense, this article presents a computational code via Finite Differences Method (MDF) implemented in PYTHON programming language, able to calculate the critical buckling load, that is, the support capacity of a slender structure, requested by an axial effort of compression. Results obtained with the applications made for the validation of the computational tool indicated that it was able to solve the problems analyzed, providing results consistent with those expected.