This study investigated characteristics of buckling load and effective buckling length by member rigidity of dome-typed space frame which was sensitive to initial conditions. A critical point and a buckling load were computed by analyzing the eigenvalues and determinants of the tangential stiffness matrix. The hexagonal pyramid model and star dome were selected for the case study in order to examine the nodal buckling and member buckling in accordance with member rigidity. From the numerical results, an effective buckling length factor of adopted models was bigger than that of Euler buckling for the case of fixed boundary. These numerical models indicated that the influence of nodal buckling was greater than that of member buckling as member rigidity was higher. Besides, there was a tendency that the bifurcation appeared on the equilibrium path before limit point in the member buckling model.

This study investigated characteristics of buckling load and effective buckling length by member rigidity of dome-typed space frame which was sensitive to initial conditions. A critical point and a buckling load were computed by analyzing the eigenvalues and determinants of the tangential stiffness matrix. The hexagonal pyramid model and star dome were selected for the case study in order to examine the nodal buckling and member buckling in accordance with member rigidity.