Numerical stability criteria for localized post-buckling solutions in a strut-on-foundation model

Some stability results are established for localized buckling solutions of a strut-on-foundation model which has an initially unstable post-buckling path followed by a restabilizing property. These results are in stark contrast with those for models with non-restabilizing behavior for which all solutions are unstable under dead-loading conditions. By approximating solutions with a nonperiodic set of functions, the stability of these static solutions can be assessed by examining the nature of the equilibrium using total potential energy considerations.