What is stability? 

Stability is the property or that power of any system which shows that whenever a certain load or force is applied to a system then it will come back to the equilibrium state or it will resist any kind of changes in the system. Any stable system shall remain in the same condition of stability for any amount of system of loads. To check or to finalize the stability of the system, types of loads and the point of application are neglected or are not considered.  

When the system or the structure has not been able to meet the desired requirements, in that case, the geometry or the shape of the system changes. When the load is applied to the system and it will be unable to resist the amount of loading, this will lead to structural change. This instability can cause a big drawback in the design and will lead to failure. 

The figure is showing that due to unstable equilibrium the structure gets ruptured and on the removal of weight, it will not be able to come back to its original condition. 

Criteria for a Structure to be in Equilibrium 

We have to set some criteria which will help in answering the questions of whether any structure is in a stable equilibrium or is unstable when a certain amount of load is given to the system. When the structure deviates from its position due to load and the afterward structure comes back to its original position, then the structure is said to be in stable equilibrium. The structure is said to be in stable equilibrium when even the small distress does not cause a large displacement or disturbance that will lead to a mechanism. 

 A mechanism is something that does not resist the load and has not been of any use for civil engineers. And if the structure is applied with a certain amount of load and on the removal of the applied load, the structure does not return to its original or the initial position and causes some disturbance in the design or the structure. Such type of condition is termed unstable or neutral equilibrium.  

Therefore in other words we can say that even small distresses can cause large deflections, disturbances, or movements in the structure and due to which the structure will not be able to come back to its original or the initial condition.  

While in certain conditions, the structure is said to be in neutral equilibrium when even the small distress causes large deflection, movement, or disturbance but the structure can be taken to its original condition or the equilibrium position without any work. 

Stability Concept 

This can be seen with the help of taking a bar which is compressed by a ball and this will help in knowing the various equilibrium conditions of stability or the instability. 

Stable equilibrium

When the bar is provided with the load, with the help of a certain amount of load of the ball, the force causes a displacement in the ball with a little amount from its position of equilibrium, and when the same disturbing force is removed, then it will come to its initial condition and when the body acts in such manner then the body is said to have that stable equilibrium. 

Unstable equilibrium

When the bar is provided with the load with the help of a ball that is of a certain amount of load, the disturbing forces cause the ball to displace by some amount from its point of equilibrium. When this disturbing force is removed from the bar the ball is unable to come back to its original position and in spite of that, the ball starts to move in a downward direction from the position of original equilibrium. Such type of conditions is said to have unstable equilibrium.  

Neutral equilibrium

When the bar is provided with the load, with the help of a ball that is of a certain amount of load, the disturbing forces cause the ball to move from its original or the equilibrium condition. When this disturbing force is removed from the system, it does not come to its original condition and neither does it continue to move in any direction, such type of conditions are termed as to be in neutral equilibrium. When the system remains in the neutral equilibrium, energy change does not take place during a displacement in the conservative force system.  

Instability can be of Various Types

• Buckling- It is defined as some sudden change in the structure of any component which is provided with a certain amount of load. The load is to be in gradually increasing order. This happens when this applied load reaches a certain critical level and as the load reaches the critical level, the member of the structure where the maximum load is applied, changes its shape all of a sudden. And this phenomenon is termed buckling. 
• Elastic instability- It is defined as the type of instability, which occurs in the elastic materials or the systems when it is provided with a gradual amount of increasing load. This type of instability is quite similar to the bucking as that occurs in beams and plates when they are given a certain amount of gradually increasing load. 
• Bifurcation buckling- It is the type of buckling that refers to a certain type of failure which is predicted with the help of the analysis of eigenvalues that at what point it will arise or it will take place at what amount of load. The deformation pattern is different in this type of buckling as compared to the pre-buckling pattern. 
• Symmetric bifurcation- These are of two types i.e., Stable symmetric Bifurcation and Unstable Symmetric bifurcation. When there is an increase in the load capacity after the buckling has occurred, then such bifurcation is known as the stable symmetric bifurcation.  

And when there is a decrease in the load capacity after the buckling has occurred, then this type of bifurcation is termed as unstable symmetric bifurcation. 

Context and Applications

This topic is significant in the professional exams for both undergraduate and graduate courses, especially for       

• Bachelors in Science (Physics) 
• Masters in Science (Physics)