First, all the beams were analyzed under quasi-static loading to
verify the accepted failure mechanisms for beams of different
aspect ratios under normal loading. The loading rates were defined
in terms of drift ratio, dr, per unit time. For beams deflecting predominantly
in bending, the drift ratio (also known as chord rotation)
is almost proportionally related to the strains in the beam
and is defined as the displacement at loaded end, D, divided by
the length of the beam, L: