"beamWithHinges" and "dispBeamColumn"

[mofaz]

Hi,
I've 2 questions.
1- when we use "beamWithHinges" element should we be sure that hinging ocurs at two ends.For example when we know that max of stress is in the middle of a beam can this element be used for the beam?

2- is "beamWithHinges" better than "dispBeamColumn" just in the case of less nonlinearity and less time consuming of analysis? (because as i know "dispBeamColumn" has distributed plasticity formulation and hinge may occur anywhare, and this make "dispBeamColumn" better for general purpose).Am i right or not?

[tazarv]

Regarding your first question, you can't use one BWH element for a member with the plastic hinge at the middle since this element has plastic hinges at the ends and the middle portion is linear elastic. You may split your member in two and use two BWH elements to construct your member. Alternatively, use another element with distributed plasticity. Please read the reference paper of BWH element for more details.