A nonlinear static analysis is performed using the initial Newton-Raphson method. The load limit (the maximum load the structure can bear) is identified in this problem by divergence of the global Newton-Raphson solution. (See Applying the Load.)

The in situ stress state is calculated in a single substep.

The load limit is calculated using an initial time-step size of 0.05. To closely capture the loss of structural integrity, the time increment can be reduced to 0.001.