The general theory of elastic stability at the end of the XIX century

Abstract

This paper reviews the research on the theory of elastic stability published at the end of the 19th century, with emphasis on the work by G. H. Bryan in Cambridge. The state of the studies on structural stability previous to Bryan is reviewed, and two lines of work are identified: one is a general stability of rigid bodies and the other is a collection of case studies of elastic stability. Bryan's theory is discussed next, presenting his arguments based on first energy principles, which led him to strong conclusions. The importance of the word "general" and the idea of having solved the problem in each case are explained. The impact of the contributions made by Bryan, together with the critiques that this generated, is also discussed.