Webinar: Nonlinear Modeling of Structures

Welcome to another session in our monthly CSI Bangkok Webinar Series. In this webinar, we take a practical approach to one of the most important yet often misunderstood topics in structural analysis – nonlinear modeling. Rather than diving into complex solver theory, we focus on the “why”, “how” and behavior of nonlinear modeling of structures in the real world.

Many engineers treat nonlinear analysis as a “black box” or avoid it altogether due to its perceived complexity. This session aims to demystify the subject by bridging the gap between fundamental concepts and practical application in SAP2000 and ETABS.

Learning Resources

If you missed the live session or want to access the resources from the webinar, you can watch the full recording, download the presentation slides, and review the Q&A highlights below.

▶ Watch Webinar recording on YouTube + Q&A session

📄 Download the Presentation (PDF)

Webinar Details

Title: Nonlinear Modeling of Structures – From Fundamentals to Application

Date: Wednesday, 04 February 2026

Time: 13:00 – 14:30 (Thailand, GMT+7) | 14:00 – 15:30 (Philippines, GMT+8) | 11:30 – 13:00 (India, GMT+5:30)

Platform: Zoom (Online)

Target Audience: Structural engineers, civil engineers, designers, researchers, and graduate students

Presenter: Dr. Naveed Anwar – CEO, CSI Bangkok and Adjunct Faculty in Structural Engineering, AIT

About the Nonlinear Modeling Webinar

The session, titled “Nonlinear Modeling of Structures – From Fundamentals to Application,” addresses the fundamental question: when and why do we need nonlinear analysis, and how do we actually model it in practice?

We explore three types of nonlinearities that structural engineers encounter:

• Material nonlinearity – concrete cracking, steel yielding, and post-yield behavior
• Geometric nonlinearity – P-delta effects, large displacements, and buckling
• Boundary nonlinearity – bearings, isolators, gaps, friction, and contact elements

The webinar then demonstrates how to model these behaviors in SAP2000 and ETABS, covering frame hinges, fiber sections, link elements, layered shells, and P-delta settings. We focus on practical workflows that engineers can apply immediately to their projects.

What You’ll Learn in This Webinar

• When linear analysis is sufficient versus when nonlinear modeling is truly needed
• The three types of nonlinearities and their physical significance
• How to model plastic hinges – placement strategies and hinge type selection
• When to use fiber sections versus lumped plasticity hinges
• Modeling isolators, dampers, gap elements, and friction using link elements
• P-delta analysis options – when to enable and which settings to use
• Practical demonstrations in SAP2000 and ETABS
• Common mistakes to avoid and how to verify your nonlinear model is working correctly

Explore all our past technical sessions on our webinar page.

If you have questions or want to learn more about this webinar or any structural engineering / CSI software and design topic, please email us at [email protected]