Virtual experiments of steel structures

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor Otto Halasz. I am his last PhD student and started to work under his guidance in 1983. He proposed the subject of nonlinear finite element analysis of steel structures. In my doctoral thesis I illustrated the FE application on the complex interaction phenomena of steel plated structures. Since that time I extended my research work and in several new topics I apply the computational tools. The strategy of the research work is the parallel and interacting experimental and virtual testing of structures. On these bases the ultimate behaviour can be determined and the design parameters can be derived. The paper gives a brief summary about the results on this field what is originated from the basic idea of my late Professor.