ABSTRACT
A numerical limit analysis problem can be formulated as an upper or lower bound problem. Using an upper bound ‘kinematic’ formulation, the DLO procedure defines a discontinuous velocity field covering the entire problem domain, utilising a set of problem variables which represent deformations along potential discontinuities (of which there may be many millions).A rigorous mathematical optimization approach (e.g. linear programming) is then used to select the set of variables that minimises the energy dissipated in order to find the critical collapse mechanism.
