Buckling Under Gravity Load

How do you perform a buckling analysis of a structure subjected to a gravity load?

The eigenvalue buckling analysis in Mechanical software, accessed through the Ansys Workbench™ platform, uses data from a static structural analysis to calculate the load multiplier that can cause structural buckling. However, applying both static structural loads and gravity simultaneously can result in a nonphysical multiplication of gravity. To avoid this, a two-stage static structural analysis is recommended.

First, analyze with gravity alone to assess the structure's deformation under its weight. Then, use this result to conduct the eigenvalue buckling analysis and calculate the load multiplier.

Please refer to the attached document and example model.

Simulation Model